


The Alliance Series

by terma_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1999-09-15
Updated: 2000-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:21:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 142,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26535751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/terma_archivist/pseuds/terma_archivist
Summary: Alternate Universe After the events of The Changing, the world is ruled by magic and Mulder has to learn to find a role for himself in the new paradigm.
Relationships: Alex Krycek/Fox Mulder, Alex Krycek/Fox Mulder/Walter Skinner
Kudos: 1
Collections: TER/MA





	1. Consummation

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alicettlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [TER/MA](https://fanlore.org/wiki/TER/MA) and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2019. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [the TER/MA collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/terma/profile).  
> WARNING: Sexual Assault, Angst, explicit sex (consensual and non-consensual) between hot men, magic, and B&D. If that isn't your thing or you are below the age of consent. DO NOT READ!!!!!!!!!! My Krycek has two arms and he's going to keep them thank you. DEDICATED TO: Megaera for reminding me that the supernatural exists beyond the written word, (but mostly near her home) Thanks to JoB,Cerulean and Michael for their beta and delicious ideas... keep 'em coming love.

  
  
**Part One  
Consummation**

_"When I'm alone  
All by myself   
You're out   
With someone else   
Loving   
Touching   
Squeezing   
Another"   
—Journey_

**Fort Bragg, California  
DayTwo   
Hour 0600**

Mulder stood, alone, and well aware of that state. He looked at the setting sun as it dipped slowly into the sea. He sat, wearing only loose, nylon shorts, at the point where water met the sand. The seductive pull of the incoming tide was but a mild distraction for his thoughts. He could still hear, with perfect clarity, Alex's cries of passion, not for him but for Skinner. He could still see the jade eyes, slitted with passion and those lush lips parted and panting. He threw another stone into the uncaring surf and tried to block out the images. Alex was his. And yet Skinner had taken him in every way, and Alex had loved it, cried out for more. Fox tried to forget his own role in pleasuring Alex and dug his toes in the sopping sand. He wanted to be swallowed whole by the surf so he would not have to acknowledge that his lover had so easily been made to come, screaming, by someone else. He knew that he was being unfair. He had sucked on Alex's cock while Skinner had plunged in and out of him and Alex had cried out for them both, but Fox was not assuaged. Alex had laid his head back on Walter's shoulder and they... they had kissed hotly. He threw three more, sullen throws and let the events of the previous evening play over and over in his mind. 

* * *

**Fort Bragg  
Day 1   
Hour 1900 **

They sat on the beach together for so long that Mulder had drifted off into sleep, secure in Alex's arms, his face resting over Alex's heart. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat, as constant as the tide. 

Alex kissed the top of Mulder's head and squeezed him. "Wake up, baby." 

A small smile curved Mulder's pouty lips as he recognized Alex's voice. He curled down so that his head was in Alex's lap and he curled on his side. 

Alex stroked the pretty face, fingering the mole gently. "We have to get in." 

"Mmm sleepy... shhhh." 

Alex smiled and moved his leg in a small bouncing movement, making Mulder's head bounce a bit. Hazel eyes peered up and the smile widened, before a yawn took over. "Pillows aren't supposed to move... that is unless you are one of those cheap hotel beds that move you for a quarter?" 

Alex growled and Mulder found himself on his back with Alex above him, pinning his arms above his head. "What? Was it something I said? I happen to like cheap..." 

Alex covered that sassy mouth, feeling the smile and hearing the satisfied chuckle. He kissed Mulder with such sweet intensity that Mulder moaned and opened his mouth wider. The kiss slowed, but was no less passionate for it. Tongues slid together as if movement was painful, so slowly that every millimeter was tasted and enjoyed. When Mulder whimpered a bit, wanting more, Alex raised up and looked down at him. The greenest eyes, greener than before the change, so beautiful Mulder wanted to live there. He saw his own face reflective in the jade surface and he barely recognized himself. 

Alex kissed the tip of Mulder's nose, "You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, Fox. I love you more than I did... five minutes ago." 

Mulder grinned, but he knew what Alex meant. The feeling was intense. He studied the face above him. Alex had always been breathtaking, but now he was so much more so... there was nothing really that he could pin down to credit it, not even the love he felt could really be responsible. Alex's eyes were still green, maybe a lighter jade than before, still framed by the thick lashes that he used to imagine feeling on the tip of cock, still black hair shiny and thick, still that fantastic body that bespoke of heavy exercise... it was something... something he could not quite pick out. He looked younger, almost too young to be in this situation. Mulder wondered if they were somehow younger. Scully had looked 18 as she slept in his arms. 

Alex was grinning down on him and Fox frowned, a confused smile on his lips. "What?" 

"You're so adorable. You were thinking weren't you? I can always tell. You look like... I can't say it, you'll get angry." 

Fox moved under him, "Like what? Like Aristotle trying to stump one of his students?" He flashed a beautiful smile up at Alex. 

Alex kissed the plump lips, "No." 

"Einstein?" 

A small laugh at Fox's temple as Alex kissed his way from brow to jaw. 

"Jung? Yoda?" 

"What?" Another small laugh and another sexy nibble. "Not even close, baby." 

"How? How do I look?" 

Alex licked the pretty mole and bit at the corner of Mulder's mouth. "Like a dumb blonde trying to figure out astronomy." 

Fox gasped, "You are so full of shit! I do not! I look like I am solving problems!" 

"Yeah, like the problem of 'Like... what I do? Do I walk _in_ the door or am I actually leaving?'" 

Fox gasped in outrage and yet a small laugh from Alex was addictive and he laughed too, deciding Alex was teasing him. After all, since he could remember, after coming out of one of his thought missions as he liked to call them, he would find many an eye on him... intent and adoring... as if those watching were sure some great font of wisdom would come forth. Of course that never had explained why those adoring looks were startled off faces as the wisdom did, in fact, spill forth. 

"So what was it? What was it that made you look so adorably dazed?" 

"Yeah right. Dazed." He shook his head at Alex's humor. "Well, I was thinking about us." 

"Mmm, a subject I enjoy greatly." Alex kissed Fox's ear and tongued the hole with moist adoration. 

"How we've changed. We _look_ different and I can't put my finger on it." 

Alex chuckled, "Only you would think about that while you were being seduced." 

Fox grinned, "I was being seduced?" 

"Yes." 

"Oh I thought I was just getting my quarter's worth." 

Alex actually laughed so hard at that that Fox was able to reverse their positions and he held his lover down into the sand. "So you think I am a dumb blonde huh?" 

Alex smiled, "I didn't say that, baby." 

"Oh, I think you did." 

"No I didn't" 

"Oh so now, because you are at my mercy, you try to change your story huh?" 

Alex chuckled, "I am at your mercy am I?" 

"That looks to be the situation." 

"I said your expression looked _like_ a dumb blonde trying to fire up one of two brain cells... eyes all unfocussed and pretty mouth deliciously agape or chewed on." 

"That is not what you said." 

"Prove it. Now about that being at your mercy crap. How do you figure that?" He was well aware that he could easily reverse the position and it was so sweet to him that Fox really didn't understand that... didn't quite understand how un-matched they were when it came to the skills of battle. He knew too that Fox would never find that out. 

"I am on top," Fox growled in what he thought of as a dangerous tone. 

Alex tilted his head and licked his lips. "So you are. What are you going to do about it?" 

Fox groaned and swooped down to capture that pink mouth. He gasped into the warmth as Alex pushed his shirt down leaving Fox's skin bare to the fading sun. They were so engrossed that they never noticed the four men come onto the beach. The men were faster than seemed humanly possible, their movements at once fluid and abrupt... as if a strobe light was on them, illuminating them in quick flashes. 

Alex's hands were delving into the back of Fox's pants deciding that he needed to get them off and show Fox that he was not going to be on top just yet, when Fox was wrenched off him. He saw his lover's startled face as he was pulled into the lustful embrace of two skinny, strange looking men. They had their hands all over Fox's struggling body and Alex's eyes glittered deadly intent as he moved to rise and tear the men apart. Two more of the spindly men fell on him and they were surprisingly strong. Hungry hands groped him and small, rounded mouths latched onto his skin and bit with tiny teeth as his clothes were tugged on. He was suddenly reminded of spiders, that these men were somehow spider like. A small mouth latched on an exposed nipple and greedy tongues lapped at him. 

Mulder felt his pants being tugged off and he cried out in rage and frustration. He couldn't get the weird little men off him, his head was wrenched painfully back and his mouth was seized in a cold, slimy kiss. He shook his head loose and cried out in horror as something moved under the men's skin, like a thousand small creatures skittering wildly, excitedly under pale skin. His legs were pulled hard apart and he fought only to be hit across the face for his efforts. Small hands groped at his crotch and he bucked his hips to dislodge the squeezing fingers. He managed to kick one off him, catching a glimpse of two attacking Alex. He fought harder then, filled with rage that Alex was being touched. He swung at the one still clinging to him and gasped as another arm appeared from its side, followed by several others. He was held down hard and the other joined in the attack, panting and jabbering as it tore at Mulder's clothes once more. 

Alex threw a deadly punch into the face of the nearest... thing... and the face gave a little, like warm wax. Not pausing to wonder at that he twisted and trapped one little man under him. Even before he broke the creature's neck he was up and heading toward Fox. 

There were so many hands on him, all hurting in their eagerness to touch him. He kicked again and the unfortunate creature hissed in pain. A tear in its arm started leaking black, shiny spiders and Fox screamed in shocked horror. He shook off the other creature and stumbled to his feet to see Alex at his side. Alex put himself between the last three creatures and Fox, but Fox had other ideas. He looked around and found a length of wood. He swung the wood at one of the creatures that had leapt to attack Alex. He grinned evilly as the creature went down. He scrambled backward though, as it scrabbled like an evil crab toward him so fast and low he couldn't avoid it as it tugged his feet from under him. He fell hard and it was on him in a flash of grasping hands and biting teeth. The bites didn't break the skin, but were acts of passion. The mouth above him opened then and he screamed, as hundreds of spiders started to fall out. 

"Alex!" He screamed, unable to stop from sounding terrified, as the spiders fell on his face. "Alex!" 

Alex had been able to kill another and he heard Fox cry out for him. The fear in that voice enraged Alex and gave him further impetus to take out their attackers. He swung and took down the last opposing him and quickly pulled the writhing form off of Fox and tore its throat out. He cried out himself as thousands of small black spiders poured out and over his arm. Fox was beating at his body and face and Alex did the same. After they had rid themselves of the shiny black insects, Alex stumbled to Fox and fell to his knees beside him, cupping the pretty face in his hands. 

"Baby, are you okay?" 

Fox nodded a bit frantically and stared at Alex. "You?" 

Alex nodded brusquely. A sound of shifting sand caught their attention and they both watched in horror as two dozen of the spiders began to grow and form into the human like creatures they had just fought, the sand flying wildly about their twisting forms. 

"Fuck!" Alex said softly, he grabbed Mulder up the two began to back away. More of the spiders were changing, and it was happening so fast. They were transfixed as the little insects, spawned from the flesh of the original creatures, began to transform into the human like creatures that had attacked them so lustfully. 

"Run, baby," Alex hissed, hoping to hold off any of the creatures that thought to chase after Fox. 

"Fuck you, Alex. For the last time, I am not a fucking damsel in distress." Fox conveniently forgot crying out Alex's name in terror only moments before. "You run, and _I'll_ hold them off." 

Alex didn't have time to argue, already the spiders had transformed enough to reveal lustful grins on slimy new faces. "Go get Skinner, something." 

Fox responded by grabbing Alex's arm and hauling him back. "We're both going." 

Alex saw the hot determination in those pretty eyes and nodded, if Fox wouldn't leave without him then he would have to go. The idea of Fox being gang-raped by spider creatures was too horrible to contemplate, he wasn't too hot to participate in that scene himself. 

Fox slapped Alex's back, hard and Alex turned surprised eyes to the wide hazel. "Spider on you. I got it... don't worry! It is dead," Fox panted. 

Alex gave Fox a disgruntled look, "I bet it is," he said feeling the sting of Fox's wild blow. 

They were moving quickly toward the path leading away from the beach when they were cut off. Alex saw a flash of movement from his left as one of the little men dashed toward them. He shoved Fox away quickly, desperately. Mulder heard Alex cry out and he didn't think twice before throwing himself at the creature that had grabbed at his lover. He fell to the sand with the small grasping creature writhing in his grasp, and he repressed a shudder at it grew a bit larger. He slammed his fist into the slimy, fragile face and felt strange satisfaction at hearing the screams of pain from the ugly creature. Others leaped on him, but were hauled off quickly by Alex. He jumped to his feet quickly and fell upon the three creatures that had dared to tackle Alex. He ripped two from his lover's body and Alex was able to free himself from the clutches of the last. With the first group defeated Alex and Fox came close together, panting, as another, larger group began its advance. Suddenly the creatures began to catch fire. The sand was alive with thousands of skittering spiders that too went up in short bursts of crimson heat. Alex pulled Mulder to him and the two huddled together as for several minutes the wails and screams assaulted their ears, and the smell of burning flesh filled their nostrils. Alex kept his eyes on the man who stood, angrily, not far from them. Skinner, in hastily donned jeans and nothing else. His big body still wet from the shower he had obviously been taking. 

Alex held a shuddering Mulder tight as the man who owned them both killed literally hundreds of their enemy, and thousands more of the small skittering spiders. The fact that most of what Skinner destroyed were small, glittering insects meant nothing to Alex. It was the potential of an enemy that first ought to be considered, not its immediate threat. Mulder yanked out of Alex's embrace with a small cry as small flashes of heat covered his near nude body. Spiders that had hidden on Mulder were burning up, without damaging Mulder's flesh. Alex was reaching to comfort Fox when he felt similar flashes of heat and the skittering of dozens of still hidden spiders on his body trying to evade the fire of destruction. 

When it was done, and the sound of the surf was the only sound on the beach save the rasping breath of the two lovers, Skinner strode toward his two beauties with a look of concern on his handsome face. Mulder looked up and left Alex's arms to go eagerly into Skinner's embrace. He lingered in that muscular embrace for a moment before returning to his pretty lover. Fox kissed Alex's head and then his angular jaw, snuggling back into Alex's sure embrace. 

Jade eyes stared into chocolate as Skinner pulled Mulder up once more, patting him comfortingly and then pulling Alex up, his look no less solicitous than it had been for Mulder. 

"Alex? Are you all right?" Skinner asked as one big hand stroked the pretty face. 

Alex nodded. And made to pull away from Skinner. The big man held on to him and he smiled into the green eyes. 

"You look a bit flustered... come on... both of you... come inside." 

Mulder touched Krycek's arm, "C'mon, Alex." 

Skinner looked to Mulder and smiled gently. "I'm counting on you to gentle him to this, Fox." 

Mulder was startled. "I... what?" 

Alex grabbed Mulder's arm. "He means that you are to make me like this." With one last glare from ebony lashed, slits of jade, Alex led Mulder up the path. Skinner followed and he was silently considering the best way to tame his two prizes. 

When they made it to the small cabin that Skinner had claimed for the three of them, Skinner placed a strong hand on Alex's shoulder. 

"Wait, Alex, I want to talk to you alone." 

Mulder turned and looked at Skinner. "Why?" 

Skinner turned from the pretty glare of his little assassin and looked at Mulder. "I need to talk to him. You need to do as I say." 

Fox nodded as he turned dumbly and went into the house with stiff, jerky movements. 

"And Fox?" 

Fox stopped, tuning wide eyes to Skinner. 

"Take a shower." 

Fox nodded slowly, and turned to go inside. 

Alex stared in amazement for a second before he slammed Skinner into a wall with all the rage he had felt for the last few days. "Damn you, Skinner! You are controlling him! You fucker!" 

Skinner let the man pin him and let him shake him. Alex was a man who had experienced too much pain in his life, too much need for control... he would do well when he was pampered and cared for... he would learn to relax, learn to enjoy life without the tiring responsibilities of staying alive. 

"You raped him that night... didn't you? You bastard!" Alex shoved harder on Skinner. "You fucking raped him! After you saw what Murdoch did to him! Even after that... you saw how he was... you saw what that bastard had done. You got rid of me and you raped him! You did, didn't you?" 

"He enjoyed everything, Alex." 

Alex shook him again. 

Skinner had enough. He pushed back gently with his arms only. He used his most soothing voice to lull the fiery beauty into a sense of contentment. 

"I know this is hard for you, Alex, but I need you to help me with Mulder. 

Alex was taken aback. "I agreed to your plan, Skinner, to keep Fox safe... from things like those on the beach... but help you do it? And what was all that on the beach about needing Fox to 'gentle' me to it?" 

"You know his pride. He needs to think he is in control," Skinner said with a small, long-suffering sigh. 

Alex looked away from Skinner and stared at the two small cabins nearby. All the cabins were modest and unassuming, as any man-made structure ought to have been in such natural settings. He saw Mrs. Scully peering at them from the furthest cabin, her eyes wide and confused. Skinner followed his gaze and he nodded brusquely. Maggie went back into the cabin and shut the door behind her. 

Skinner caressed Alex's angular jaw, and Alex allowed it. 

"I'm not going to hurt him you know. I am not going to hurt either of you. Whether you know it or not, you two are very special. Even humans... normal humans will want you, Alex. Can't you feel that you are different? Don't you ask yourself why all these strange creatures are being driven to attack you and Mulder? Can't you feel how much they want you?" 

Alex locked his gaze with Skinner's "So we are prized possessions to you? Sweet little fucks that you get to own, because you are some kind of..." 

"God?" Skinner supplied helpfully. 

"What ever!" 

"Yes you are a prized possession, Alex, and so is Fox. But I'll treat you both as thinking individuals, as men with minds of their own. You already know that that will be rare for you without my protection." 

"If we fuck you!" Alex said softly. 

"Well, if you let me fuck you. I won't require that you fuck me. I will, however, let you fuck Fox, and vice versa. In fact, the idea of you two together is extremely hot. You are the only one I will ever share Fox with, pretty Alex." 

The old roles were gone. Skinner had no qualms about controlling these two men. He truly believed they would be happier and safer with him. Fox would fuck the devil himself to be with Alex, and he knew Alex felt the same way. 

"Make this easy for him. We both love him, Alex, but you are the only one who can make this okay for him. If you lead, he'll follow, and it will be so much easier for him to do this if he knows you are fine with it." 

"I am so _not_ fine with this, Skinner. Do you think I even want you to touch his hand? The idea of letting you... _anyone_ fuck _my_ lover... it is crazy. I am doing this to protect him." 

"I do understand, Alex. But you should know that Fox does want me... he loved what we did, and he'll love it even more when you are there to play with us." 

Alex glared and Skinner sighed. "This isn't about who Fox belongs to, Alex. He belongs to me... every inch of him... as do you." 

Alex knew it was true. His eyes met Skinner's for a long moment and he wondered why he even resisted. It was the way of things. He relaxed suddenly. 

"Go take a shower with Fox." 

Alex turned and obediently made his way into the cabin, mimicking Fox's dazed movements, without being aware of it. 

Skinner watched Alex's body, and was more than impressed. What an example of male perfection. He couldn't wait to try him out. 

Alex took off his clothes and slid into the shower with Mulder. He slid his arms about the sleek waist and kissed the tender area where neck met shoulder. 

"You have to admit... it is nice to still be able to take a shower," Fox said quietly. He was referring to Skinner's ability to make their life as normal as possible. Air conditioning ran, stoves operated, cars, and stereos... only tapes and CD's no radio... hot water, plumbing, almost everything that the two associated with civilized living. 

"I have to admit that I love touching you," Alex murmured as he slid his mouth along Fox's jaw. 

Fox turned into Alex's embrace and the two simply stared into one another's eyes as the water slid silkily around them. 

"Are you okay, Alex? I mean after all you went through?" 

Alex kissed the pouting lower lip. "I want you to forget about that... and concentrate on the now." 

Fox tilted his head. "How in the hell are we going to share this? How can I? How can you... I mean... we aren't just fucking... we love each other. I love you so much... how can I share you, Alex?" 

Alex gritted his teeth and the muscle in his jaw flexed under sun darkened skin. "We can leave if you want, baby." 

"And have you attacked again like on the beach? I mean I can only kill so many creatures to protect you, Alex," Fox entreated. 

Alex sighed. Fox really was clueless... brilliant but so full of himself... how had he changed the beach scene into he protecting Alex? "I know you can, baby. Thank you for that by the way." 

Mulder beamed. "Don't thank me, Alex. I love you of course I am going to protect you." 

Alex nodded. 

"I think that we have to stay with Wal... uh... Skinner. He really isn't like the others... he wants us to be together." 

Alex had some very evil things to say, but Skinner was right. He had to make this easy for Mulder. There was no way in hell he could protect Fox out there. They needed Skinner. And this was his price. He knew that had it been anyone else, but Skinner, he'd have taken his baby and left. The A.D., though... the former A.D. was so... something... noble... strong... sexy. He was startled by this last thought. Since when had he thought the A.D. sexy? Since he had manhandled him and shaken him like a child... someone who could take care of those in his protection... no one had protected Alex as Skinner protected Scully and Mulder. And Noble? That remained to be seen as Alex had still to figure out what Skinner was doing with Murdoch. Whatever the outcome he would be with Fox and that was what was important to him. Unbidden an image of Garren came to his mind. Strong, huge and beautiful. He groaned as a wave of desire to be touched once more by that one, consumed him with wanton desire. 

Fox was petting his face solicitously when Alex came back to himself. 

"Garren? Fox asked confused. 

Alex flamed red, "What?" 

"You were asking for... moaning for Garren. Not the wolf!" 

Alex swept Fox tightly to him and crushed their lips together. They began to kiss passionately but he knew Fox would ask him later. 

"C'mon let's get cleaned up," Alex suggested finally. 

For Him. 

That was what they both thought. Clean themselves up for Skinner. So their bodies would be clean and sweet for his pleasure. 

They soaped each other up and had fun trying to clean the other more thoroughly than had the other. The copious, clean-smelling suds made fragrant rivulets along their long muscled thighs. 

A cool waft of air covered them as Skinner opened the shower door. He gaped at them and then grinned. "You two. You two are so perfect. Come. Dry off." Immediately the water stopped and Walter stepped back to let them out of the shower. 

Fox handed Alex a towel but Skinner took it and began to dry Alex's body off with slow sure strokes. 

"I bet that was the best shower you ever had. Even if Fox hadn't been there... just to be clean again, right?" 

Alex had to admit that was true, and he had to admit he was tired, tired of struggle. He looked at Fox and saw a small frown on smooth skin. Fox was right, they did look different... not so much that he could put his finger on it, but something. 

Strong fingers were tracing the cleft of his ass and his eyes met Skinner's. 

"Very nice, Alex." 

"Yes, isn't he?" Fox muttered with a tight voice. 

Skinner abandoned Alex and swept Fox to him. "Don't be jealous, Fox, you know I love you with all my heart." He grinned as Fox pursed his lips angrily. 

"You know that isn't why..." 

Skinner cut off Fox's tirade and scooped up the lean body and carried him into the bedroom. Alex was left to follow. 

Skinner lay the nude man on the crisp, cotton sheets and kissed the lush mouth. Fox did look like an angel, so beautiful that Skinner felt he could stare down at him forever. He traced the mole that was placed so seductively. He kissed a path from the mole to the corner of the ripe lips and licked between the red flesh. He looked into Fox's eyes and thought of the forest outside, the evergreen of pine and the dark wet bark of trees so high and unattainable. The sweep of lashes, the intent stare and the reluctant love therein. 

He looked up to Alex, who stood, unconcerned of his glorious nakedness, worried jade eyes staring down at Fox, trying to judge if he would have to throw Skinner off the slender man. 

Skinner stood then and kissed the parted pink lips of his one-time adversary. "Go to him, Alex. Let me enjoy watching you both." At Alex's hesitation Skinner nodded, "Make him love it... make him want it." 

Alex almost told him to go to hell but one look in those melting eyes and he felt that it was what he _ought_ to do. Make Mulder enjoy this as best as he could, and also please Skinner. 

He moved forward and lay a hand on Mulder's slim hip. "I want to do this, Fox. Can we?" 

Fox felt a moment's hesitation, but then it was what he wanted too. He looked once more at Skinner who had retreated to sit in a chair not far away, large thighs parted so that Fox could see the enormous, delicious bulge between them. He could still taste that hot, silken head. He nodded at Alex. "I want it, too." 

Neither lover knew just how much the other did indeed want this. 

Alex slowly covered Fox's body with his own. The feeling of their thighs touching and then their erections, made both men hiss in pleasure. Alex leaned in to kiss Fox's moist lips. 

"No. Don't kiss him yet, Alex... lick his neck," Skinner commanded from his corner. 

Mulder gasped, the idea of Skinner commanding them like living puppets excited him. 

Alex bent to lick at his lover's arched neck and bit lightly, restrained hunger in every swipe of tongue and tug of teeth. 

"Rub your cock on his... he loves that." 

Jade met hazel in smoky anger and Fox closed his eyes. 

"Move up, just your hips touching his." 

Alex raised up and felt the burn, the hot sweet burn of Fox's wet cock on his own, and the desire to please Walter mingled in with the erotic play and the sight of his beautiful lover. He rubbed his aching cock against Fox's. 

"No, Alex. Make Fox do all the movement," Skinner's voice was growing husky. "Make him want to please us, Alex." 

Mulder was already moving his hips, his arms stretched above him, a small smile on his face. "Oh, Alex you feel so good, so hard." 

"Isn't he lovely, Alex?" 

Alex groaned, "The most beautiful thing I have ever seen. God, Fox... it feels so good to touch you." 

Fox bucked his hips and the two plump cocks slid hot and fast together and Alex bit his lip to keep from pushing those long, lean legs up to Fox's chest and ramming into him in one smooth thrust. 

"Make him tell you what he wants, Alex." 

Fox grinned lustily. "Like you don't know, Alex." 

"Fox, tell him what you want." 

"I want you, Alex. I want you." 

Alex leaned in and kissed those soft lips and Skinner sighed in pleasure. The two were incredibly beautiful together. "What do you want Alex to do, baby?" Skinner crooned. 

"I want his... I want your tongue..." Fox panted. 

"Where, baby?" Alex asked huskily. He slid a hand to Fox's wet, throbbing cock and thumbed the slick head. "Here?" 

Fox cried out, "Yes... everywhere." 

Alex looked to Skinner who nodded and bent to lick the smooth, taut head. Fox moaned and bucked his hips. His cock jerked and he parted his legs even further. 

"Suck his cock, Alex." Skinner watched as Alex eagerly complied and his own cock throbbed in time with the passion on the bed. Fox was writhing under Alex's ministrations and the dark head between Fox's thighs, bobbed in a twisting, voracious rhythm. He stood and approached the bed. He ran a big hand down Alex's muscular back and felt the man tense at the touch. Fox was holding Alex's head to its duty and Skinner positioned himself behind the man he would have to tame before the three could live together comfortably. He gently tugged Alex back and off Fox and bent to kiss Fox's throbbing organ. He leaned back on his feet, thighs spread. 

"Undress me. Both of you." 

Four hands fell to the business of unbuttoning his Levi's and he silently commanded Alex to take his massive tool in his hands. Once Alex held Skinner's cock in both of his hands, Skinner whispered, huskily. "Get it wet." 

Alex hesitated again, with a defiant flash of green, but he fell to his task a bit too eagerly to feign disinterest and Skinner groaned as the pretty, pink flesh parted and a hot, skilled mouth slid onto his cock. Skinner nearly screamed as Alex was able to get a good portion of his dick in his mouth before beginning a pumping, sucking motion that drove Skinner wild. Whatever else the consortium had trained Alex to do, they had certainly made sure he was an expert cocksucker. Fox was tracing a hand over Alex's cheek with a dazed look... not a thinking dazed look, just a confusion that was real. Skinner pulled Fox to him and kissed the look off his face. He couldn't resist grabbing Mulder's full, tight ass in greedy hands. He wanted to be deep inside, but first he would claim the assassin. 

Mulder began to moan again when Alex's hand found his cock and began to pump it. Skinner loved the way Mulder moaned, so filled with longing and passion. He pulled Alex up and situated him on his knees in front of him. Skinner pulled Alex's back to his chest and began to point his huge cock at Alex's tight hole. Mulder bent quickly and licked at Alex's ass to wet it and loosen it. 

Alex was panting with excitement. This was not what he generally found exciting, but now he knew with utter clarity that being fucked could be so hot. He had loved Fox doing it, had to admit that he craved Garren doing it, and now Skinner was pushing in. His thighs trembled as the big man pushed the monster in. 

* * *

**Military Installation  
Domed Mountain   
Armatise, Colorado   
Four Miles Deep   
Day 1   
Hour 1700 **

"So are they going to ally with us?" The voice was mechanical, translated from thought pattern to form the English language. The elderly men in the room, and their young protégé's all turned toward C.G.B. Spender to answer their ally's question. The hum of machinery and the sound of computer keyboards being utilized was a sound that CSM knew would not be heard outside of the alien stronghold. Alien technology had not been effected by the disruption caused by the anomaly in the sky. The anomaly that even the aliens could not explain. 

"The leader will compromise, but the game is different now. We aren't dealing with humans anymore. These players are powerful. We cannot go forward with the full invasion. They are capable of bringing down any craft... I don't know how I know this, but trust me... we are dealing with something very powerful." 

"Too bad the sweet, Agent Mulder isn't here to explain these things to us. He is always coming across some paranormal event." The raspy voice came from the corner and all eyes turned to him. He was very rarely seen anymore. He was the central power figure within the Consortium, the one who pulled the strings and watched his puppets dance. He too had seen the lush tapes of the beautiful agent having sex with the sexy and dangerous spy he had personally selected to be trained. He had never imagined that Fox would have grown to be such a beauty, nor could he have ever imagined that the young teen that he had corrupted vicariously, would have come together. But it had been utterly beautiful, so hot and so inspiring. He wished he had done such a thing to Fox long ago. But the last time he had seen the agent, he had been an uninteresting boy, all long limbs and dark inquisitive eyes. 

The men and the alien in the black tank replied. Even the aliens knew that this man was their real contact. CSM vacated his seat to offer it to the man who ignored it. 

"Our plans have changed, gentlemen. I want to speak alone with our friend." He waited patiently as the members of the consortium, the new members he amended, shuffled out. When he and the alien beyond the black glass were alone he sat down. A plum light began to glow beyond the glass. He understood his ally without the benefit of mechanical devices. He had been attuned to them for all his life. 

"My friend, we can still claim some victory. We can still claim some portion of slave labor and natural resources. Their leader... he is infatuated with Fox Mulder. We need only give him what he wants and he will give us what we want." 

"It will not be enough." 

"It is more than we can take by force." 

"They are powerful, I will concede... but how much is this leader going to concede? The population is down by nearly half and they are being hunted even now." 

"We ask for one billion human survivors and resources enough to assuage your rulers. It is all we can do." 

There was silence in the tank and then a slight shifting sound as his ally moved slowly. 

"And you ask for what?" 

"The technology... we keep it here on Earth. It is the only kind that will work." 

Silence again and a slight hissing noise. 

"That is forbidden." 

"Do you want to go back empty handed?" 

"Can you deliver the son to this leader?" 

"I can." 

"Then do so. One billion human slaves, and resources." 

"Done." 

"Then you keep the technology, and we part." 

The man nodded and a slow smile slid over his still handsome face. True he hadn't seen his son since the night he had given his daughter to the aliens and his soul to the consortium, but he looked very forward to the strange reunion. He suspected that Fox knew by now that the man who had finished raising him had not been human, but he knew without doubt that Fox thought his father was dead. He sighed and walked out of the room as the plum light inside the blackness faded. 

* * *

**Wide Lane, Kentucky  
Day 1   
Hour 1400 **

Garren rested in the shade of an oak. The sun was high in the sky and the pack members that were running West with him were all sprawled beside the small pond. All in human guise, and all powerful males. The females of the pack were wandering alone as was their preference. They avoided the males as often as possible, not wanting to mate for life and become subservient. Garren cast out his thoughts and could hear his followers all over the world. It had always been easy to communicate to his pack this way. The initial feeding frenzy was dying down and the pack was beginning to settle down again. Garren knew that it would be illogical to kill off all or even most of the humans. What fun would that be? And so the pack round the world began to stalk once more. There was some mild confusion over the abandonment of the old master, but no resistance. Garren did not call Murdoch his enemy... couldn't quite come to that. He still loved the man and wanted him to succeed but he had overstepped his bounds when he had interfered with Garren's mate. 

Thoughts of his pretty mate made him growl. Somewhere, west, the human ascendant was with his mate. He knew that Alex would be needing to be mastered soon, the spore would encourage submission to strength and though Garren was Alex's ideal mate now, Alex would hearken to any power. As for the little Foxling, he could not say. Garren had tracked his mate to the small building where he had lain with the prince. The smell of the two, so alike, was sweeter than the smell of blood and fear, an exotic perfume of lust and skin and beauty. Alex was in love with the beautiful prince... was so in love that Garren wondered if he would be able to shake that habit from Alex. Yes, Alex would crave Garren, would keen for his touch, but would he ever let go his love of the prince? It would be difficult. Foxling belonged to Murdoch. Were he to keep Foxling around to please Alex, then Murdoch would indeed become his enemy, and a powerful enemy he would be. 

Soft whimpering from the little human male they had found hidden in a barn brought Garren's Siberian blue eyes to the nude form. Well-used and covered in sperm the young male stirred. He was a pretty little male, not a changed human, but sweet never the less. His pretty face and body had kept him alive so far where most humans would have long been devoured. There were no changed humans this far west from where the opening had created them. All the changed humans were now either in hiding or owned by the various powers that roamed. The Others had gone hunting in the city, the former capital of the former nation-state to find any changed humans that The Ascendant had not already captured. In the end there had only been slightly over two hundred in all... that were found. While some were as changed and sweet as Alex... perhaps an unlucky dozen, no others were as changed as the prince himself and Garren knew that Murdoch was fated to own that beauty. The human gave a small cry as Garren pulled him to him by one ankle. Without wasting his spore he slid the struggling human onto his hard organ and pumped the hot, tight body up and down. The other males kept their distance and dared not disturb their master's pleasure, even though hunger was growing in their bellies. 

Garren knew that the human ascendant would be a powerful enemy, powerful enough to protect his sweet cat and the little fox. It remained to be seen if Garren would have to fight him for Alex or what fate would bring. The smell of blood from the pretty human impaled on his cock started another lust brewing and he grinned wickedly at the frightened man, his teeth growing frighteningly long. 

* * *

**Washington D.C.  
Day 1   
Hour 1400 **

Murdoch strode through the rubble-strewn streets of the abandoned capital. All the humans had fled and all changed humans had been captured. The streets were filled with twisted metal and cold remains of bonfires. Bleached looking bones were liberally strewn through the ashen remains of the once inferno blazes. He approached the Lincoln Memorial and walked up the steps to stare up at the immense stone figure. He turned his back on the likeness of the long-slaughtered fool and stared across the Reflection Pool that crouched at the Feet of the stone Monument. The water swirled lightly and he wondered what lived in its depths now that his kind ruled. The Washington Monument stood tall and in the distance. It had always been his favorite. Just no statement in it, just a stone tower, like the black tower's of questing lore. It meant nothing in the end and was simply a block of stone. He thought of his prince and wondered if his prince missed his kisses. 

He had tried to go to his pretty's side but still the stubborn man had not accepted his role and thus Murdoch could not travel to him that quickly. He gritted his teeth and glared at the ruined city and the clear horizon beyond. It was all his really, and yet little, irritating things kept cropping up. A human ascendant with as much power as the big A.D. was an annoyance, the fact that Garren had left was outrageous, that he couldn't follow his prince and retrieve him immediately infuriated him. The things he had to deal with! Garren had not declared him an enemy, which was apparent as no wolves had been attacking, they just simply had left, immediately upon Garren's departure. Most of his fellow rulers had left for their own favorite parts of the world. There was some squabble over who would take Europe, but that would be settled by war. Skinner had claimed the western half of the US and all of Mexico. Hundreds of miles of Canadian border went unclaimed for fear that the powerful man would see it as encroachment. Murdoch didn't need to claim much land... he wanted to claim the world as his, and in a way it was his, even that which Skinner claimed. They were human and as such could not control the creatures from the other places. 

He was craving the taste of his lover. The sweet sound of Fox screaming in pleasure and frustrated passion... the tight clasp of his anus, the sweet taste of his cock, oh he wanted him so. It would be a while before he could convince Garren to return, in the interim he would have to search for another ally to serve as guards. The wolf pack was ideal, as it was populous and incredibly fierce, but he was certain he could woo Garren back. He would even gift the cat to him, in order to please the powerful pack leader. As he was too occupied to go west to where Skinner had taken his captive prize he would have to take Mulder in the way of his kind, though dreams. He would much prefer the real thing but he could molest that pretty body thoroughly no matter where he was, as long as he wanted... after all the beauty was his own. It didn't surprise him in the least that Foxling was the most changed of all the hundreds of changed humans. Skinner would be lucky to hold him. Even as long as it took Murdoch to reclaim him. 

* * *

**Fort Bragg, California  
Day 1   
Hour 1930 **

Alex cried out as he was filled with the massive cock. His head fell back onto the broad shoulder of the man impaling him and he vaguely heard Skinner command Mulder to suck his cock. When that lush mouth covered him he cried out in sweet pleasure. 

"Oh God, Fox!" The sweet suction and the hard pinching on his nipples by Skinner's large, strong fingers were the only movement as Skinner stayed still inside him. He felt his flesh quivering around the big organ and he thought of Garren once more. His lips parted in ecstasy and he began to rock his hips to feel the slide of the cock owning him. Skinner was nibbling softly on his neck and when those all too human teeth grazed Garren's mark Alex screamed in pain and pleasure. Oh God he wanted this! He pushed back as Skinner's mouth moved to his ear. Alex stared down at Fox, who was sucking so avidly that Alex couldn't believe he was a novice. He stroked the beloved face and trembled as Skinner gave long, hot licks to his ear. 

"Tell my what you want, Alex," Skinner whispered against his ear. 

"Fuck me," Alex begged without hesitation. He knew what he wanted and he wanted it hard. 

He grabbed at Mulder's hair and began to move that face on him with a sure rhythm as Skinner began to move his cock inside and out. Alex came in Mulder's mouth with hot jerks and a little scream. Mulder sucked up all the slick, salty semen and then moved up to kiss Alex's pink lips. They stared into one another's eyes and were suddenly devouring each other's mouth with wild groans. Mulder wrapped his hands around Skinner's back and held Alex tight between them. 

Alex buried his head in Mulder's neck and tossed his head as he begged Skinner for more. 

"So pretty, so ti... tight," Skinner growled, slamming without effort, hitting the sensitive prostate over and over. 

"Yeah... oh God, Skinner... God that feels so... uh... so good... yeah!" 

Skinner could feel Alex tightening again and watched in the mirror at the side of the room as his two beauties rubbed their cocks together hotly. He reached around and grabbed Mulder's perfect ass and knew he would plow that sweet field next. He'd put those long, runner's legs over his shoulder and make him scream... Alex could kiss those pretty lips and then feed him his cock... the image of them both doing Mulder at the same time was too hot and Skinner began to pump harder into the tight, velvet sheath. 

Mulder came again with a small cry... Skinner and Alex came together seconds later. They all fell to the bed in a sweaty tangle of muscular limbs, Alex still snuggled between the two. He leaned back and he and Skinner kissed slowly, hotly. 

"That was amazing," Alex sighed, surprised. 

"You are amazing," Skinner crooned in an adoring voice. 

Mulder felt his heart beat slowing and he suddenly didn't want to be in this situation. He rolled away from his lovers and got out of the bed. 

"Where are you going?" Alex asked quickly. 

Mulder gave him a small smile. "To the restroom... I'll be right back." 

He hurried out of the bedroom and went to the restroom where he started another shower. He had only been under the hot spray for a few moments when Skinner entered the shower, taking up most of the space. He was drawn into the big chest. 

"I know this is hard for you, Mulder, but it is going to be very good... for all of us." 

"Yes, I am sure it is, Skinner." Mulder tried to pull away a bit, but Skinner held fast. 

"I want you to enjoy this... if you like though... I can send Alex away when we make love." 

Mulder gasped and shook his head. He didn't want that... it had been hot... incredibly so... it was just the aftermath when he could think logically. 

Skinner kissed his lips and licked between the swollen flesh. "Oh I want to do such things to you, baby... such hot, nasty, nasty things." 

Mulder groaned at that. It was like a porn movie... the dialogue... the steamy shower... he felt his cock shift and grow heavy again... amazingly. The stamina he and Alex had commented on, the horniness was still very much in effect. 

Skinner was palming Mulder's ass and squeezing it almost too tightly. He shifted in the strong embrace and cried out when Skinner's two index fingers found his anus and pushed in simultaneously. 

"That hurts." Mulder pulled away from the probing fingers. 

Skinner eased up and to Mulder's amazement the big man blushed. "Sorry... I just go crazy when I touch you." 

Mulder almost laughed. Alex slid into the shower and the three could hardly move. He kissed Mulder's lips. 

"Are you okay, baby?" 

Mulder knew that Alex wasn't asking about Skinner's rough fingering, he was asking about the larger picture. 

"Yes, I think I am." Mulder leaned into Alex and they kissed, at first with slow, unsure busses, then with growing passion. 

Alex felt, rather than saw Skinner kissing Mulder's neck. He looked up and met the surprisingly lovely eyes of his former boss. There was a sudden understanding between them. They both loved this man... loved him more than they loved themselves. It made the situation so much more bearable to Alex. He nodded and the two moved in concert to lead their lover out into the bedroom once more. 

Alex nibbled on Mulder's lips and whispered nonsensical endearments to which Mulder responded to strongly. He caressed Alex's dark head and responded with his own endearments. A hot mouth engulfed Mulder's cock and he moaned into Alex's wet kisses. 

"Just feel it, baby," Alex encouraged. He wanted Mulder to be happy and he knew that this was a situation that wasn't going away. Too he felt strangely disconnected, more mellow than normal. The testimony to that was that he was encouraging Fox to enjoy getting his cock sucked by another man. 

Fox looked down at Skinner who was so gently licking his way down Mulder's deep crack. That tongue and those broad shoulders. Oh God he wanted it. He spread his legs wide and Skinner chuckled. 

"You're so hot for it, baby," Walter crooned before pushing Fox's legs up and over his shoulders. 

Alex tensed. This was the moment that he had been dreading. The moment that he was close to resisting. He couldn't do it. He couldn't let Skinner fuck Fox. He turned with a growl to look into Skinner's dark eyes. Their eyes met and he shook his head, his eyes darting to that large erection poised at his lover's opening. 

"Get something to lube him, Alex." 

He wanted to tell Skinner to go to hell, that this was where he drew the line. He could feel Fox's questioning gaze and yet he found himself getting up and finding something to ease the penetration. He trembled with some emotion he could not name, and he couldn't understand why he wasn't pulling those long legs off Skinner's shoulders. 

"Put some in him." Skinner's voice was seductive, sexy. "Get him ready for me." 

Alex blanched and his eyes seemed to widen, almost like a little boy who had been yelled at by a beloved parent. Skinner caressed the pretty face. "Together, Alex... for him." 

Still Alex balked and Skinner had to push him again until the sexy man knelt down over his lover's body and gently rubbed lube into the small, pink hole. 

Mulder was gasping in pleasure and Alex bent to kiss the tip of his sweet cock. Mulder pumped up to Alex's mouth. 

"Alex!" Mulder gasped. 

"Put some on me now, pretty Alex." Skinner stared entranced as Alex's hands liberally added lube to Skinner's mammoth cock. 

"Good boy," Skinner breathed seeing Alex's eyes blinking in confusion. 

He pushed his cock against the small hole and slid in slowly. Mulder arched into it, his eyes glazed. 

Walter stared down as his love and bent into kiss those puffy lips. The movement caused his cock to slide in deeply and Mulder cried out in pain and incredible pleasure. Skinner devoured his lips, his tongue lapping at Mulder's eager mouth and he leaned back only to tell Alex to kiss Fox. 

Alex bent to obey and the two kissed so sweetly that Skinner felt as if he were intruding. The feeling was fleeting as he drove into Mulder hard, reclaiming Fox's attention, despite Alex's sweet kisses. 

He couldn't last long, not with Fox humping up to meet his thrusts. He came with a strangled cry and slammed into Mulder with enough force to cause the younger man to cry out and shake his head in denial. The force of the thrusts on his prostate made Mulder orgasm with painful intensity. 

Alex leaned down to suck Fox's trembling cock and he lapped gently at the hot semen on Fox's belly. 

Skinner pulled out slowly and pulled Mulder up and into his arms. "I love you so much, Fox. I never want to let you go." 

Fox kissed Skinner then and yet his expression was dazed. 

Alex helped Skinner arrange Fox comfortably between them and Skinner reached over to stroked his unexpected treasure. "Alex, you don't have to worry about him... I won't let anything hurt him." 

Alex nodded and curled up into sleep. Once asleep he dreamt of running and of being caught, and oh to be caught by such a one as he who caught him. He burned in those pale blue eyes and his body keened for the strong, sure touch. The small wound on his neck throbbed and deep inside, the spore worked to bring him even further into Garren's grasp. He rubbed his sleeping body against Mulder's prone frame and the sound of the ocean lulled them all into an early slumber. 

* * *

Scully sighed as she slid out of the Range Rover. It seemed that style was still something Antonio thought of, despite the fact that the SUV was useless without his power. The Gunmen stayed in the SUV arguing fiercely. Frohike was proclaiming that some woman had preferred him to his companions when she closed the door on their incessant bickering. Antonio smiled fondly at the men and shook his head as he followed Dana inside the small cabin that she had chosen... it was the closest to her partner's and his lovers'. Antonio kissed her long neck and stroked her sides. She turned to him and the two stared at one another quietly. He swept her into his arms easily, wondering at her slight frame. She had such a big personality that it seemed odd that she should weigh so little. He took her into the only bedroom and closed the door behind them. 

* * *

Langly finally realized that it was getting hot in the leather interior and he opened his door and slid out, followed quickly by Byers. Byers stopped Langly from going into the cabin that Scully and Antonio had disappeared into. 

"I think... that is... I believe that they won't appreciate our intrusion," Byers said quietly. 

Frohike joined them, "Red is getting down and dirty with Tony?" 

Byers sighed, "I think that you could say that, yes." 

Frohike shook his head, "The tall dark and handsome type are always the ones who score." 

Langly tossed his long hair, "Well I seem to remember you getting quite a bit of attention in the town... some of the women seemed very interested in us all." 

Byers sighed. He really wanted to talk to Mulder. If Skinner and Krycek would just let him out of their sight for a minute maybe they all could get back to planning and plotting. Nothing had changed really. They were still on the losing team. The gunmen all blushed as a unit as sounds of sex and pleasure came from both cabins, and after a moment they all fell over themselves to get inside the third cabin, in a rush to get inside. The sole inhabitant of the cabin, Mrs. Scully had thankfully fallen asleep in one of the two bedrooms to the lulling sounds of the wild Pacific and didn't hear the men tumbling in. 

Frohike looked out the window and said, 'Oh god! I feel like one of the three pigs." 

Byers groaned, "Do I even want to ask?" 

Langly grinned and said, "Oh yeah... the three little houses. Only who is the wolf?" 

Frohike turned to his compadres. "It isn't just one wolf, amigos. There are hundreds of them." 

Byers stood from the chair he had plopped in. "The people there in town... they are exposed. We have two... well I don't know what to call them... but we have two of them, Skinner and Antonio, and so we are safe here, but what about them?" 

Langly pulled at a lock of hair. "Yeah! What do we do for them? I mean there are some serious baddies out there." 

Frohike was stunned. He hadn't thought of that. What a selfish bastard he was. Here he was thinking of his new appeal, and people were hiding in the night from creatures spawned from nightmares. "We arm up and go do the protection thing!" He said fiercely, his eyes blazing almost religious fire behind his thick frames. 

Byers stared, surprised. "I hate to break it to you, Frohike, but we aren't soldiers." 

Langly stood. "Well, we have weapons and we know how to fight some of the creatures... garlic pulp... etceteras. I can't stand to let these people get slaughtered while we sit in our little cabin by the sea and do nothing!" 

Frohike went in search of some belts to rig another holster and Byers sighed. "You two are right. But shouldn't we take Krycek? I mean he is good in a fight." 

"They are too busy having sex... like it just got invented." Frohike sounded disgusted. "People and their libido," he groused until a hoot of pleasure heralded his finding two big belts. 

Byers made his way to the abandoned helicopter shutting out Scully's cries of passion and humming loudly to himself, he climbed into the military vehicle. He rummaged through it looking for as many weapons as he could find. He saw a leather pouch and considered it for a moment before shoving it aside and under a seat as he searched for ammunition. Though he was a pacifist himself, he was raised around guns and he knew very well how to use even the most elaborate weapon. The first rule, always use the proper ammunition, or lose an arm at the very least. He eyed the large guns mounted on the side of the helicopter and wished life was a movie. If it were he could grab the large guns and use them, as Rambo had done against the evil Soviets and Vietnamese. Of course the guns were far too heavy to lift and the kick would break every bone in the body able to lift it. It would be a bad-ass gun though, he mourned. 

Langly joined him and between the two of them they assembled a large cache of weapons and, more importantly, ammunition. 

Frohike emerged, having spent a few moments primping for the upcoming jihad. His hair, what little left he had on top, was slicked back and he had changed shirts. A spicy, pleasant scent heralded his liberal dousing of some designer cologne. He strode purposefully toward his comrades and said, "Well, how the heck are we getting there?" 

All three were stumped. All suited up and no way to get to the rumble. 

"Well shit on that!" Langly cursed in frustration. 

"We'll get some bicycles..." Byers chirped. 

"Get real Byers. There are wolves and zombies and vampires out there. God knows what else." Frohike spit out. 

Langly looked to the cabin where Skinner and Krycek had taken their friend. "Mulder would know what to do." He was pouting now, his long hair framing his face like a thin, flaxen veil. 

Byers nodded and stared at the cabin where his friend was being taken advantage of. "I think we should wait for Mulder... he'll be with us on this." 

Frohike swore and strode back to his cabin. "If they could just get their minds out of the gutter they could put their la di da powers to good use... not just to seduce a piece of ass." After a few angry strides he threw over his shoulder, "Not that Mulder and Red are pieces of ass of course." 

Langly sighed and followed his friend. 

Byers stared out into the darkening forest and knew he wanted no part of biking through that. 

* * *

Skinner woke when Alex cried out in his sleep. He moved to sooth his stubborn lover. He touched the pretty face and frowned. Alex was yearning for the wolf, Garren. He gently stroked Alex's muscular arm and bent to kiss the stubbled jaw. "You are mine now, Alex. Soon you will forget him, and cleave unto me alone." He stared at the sleeping beauty wrapped tightly in Alex's embrace. He knew that Mulder's position wasn't threatened by Garren, that whatever Alex's desire, Fox would always come first. He stroked Fox's full lips and smiled. He could hardly blame Alex for that. Fox was amazingly beautiful. More so now than ever before. 

Skinner stood and dressed. He needed to check on the Gunmen, and Scully. He immediately sensed that Scully slept comfortably wrapped in Antonio's besotted embrace. The Gunmen slept safely in the third cabin. He was a bit disturbed that Antonio had let Scully pick the closest cabin. The Gunmen should have been sandwiched between them. Even as he thought that he knew it didn't matter. Even now his presence was being known and the others... the creatures from places foreign to him, were avoiding him. The destruction of the spider creatures had made an impression. He felt the presence of something ancient and powerful. He looked into the trees, knowing it crouched there, knowing it waited for Fox or Alex. He smelled the scent of fresh blood on it, could feel its amusement with him. It wouldn't dare challenge him, but it knew he could not find it in the shadows. A sound of sliding leather aroused him slightly. This was the skill of the thing above him. Seduction. Absolute seduction of the senses. He felt for a moment that he ought to go walking on the beach... it was so beautiful there in the pregnant moon. He had even taken a step toward the beach when he stopped and chuckled. 

"Nice try... very nice." The creature's talents were very strong, and he was curious as to what it looked like. He had visions of young supple skin, sweet lips and innocent eyes. He shook his head; the creature was at it again. It wanted him to leave his lovers unprotected. He smiled again and sighed. The creature was the only thing bold enough to come near, and even it would not dare to come out of its high perch. 

He went back inside, comfortable that all was well. He stood watching Alex and Fox. They were snuggled tightly to one another. It was sweet really, and so sexy. He wanted to wake Fox up and take him again... this time to have Alex feed those plump lips with his own cock. The lustful fantasies faded as he watched Fox turn in his sleep to snuggle his face in Alex's neck. He wanted to be loved by Fox that way. He watched Alex, in his sleep, kiss his lover sweetly and pull him closer. He wanted to be loved by Alex that way. They were so beautiful. He slid behind Fox and pulled him to his large chest, and away from Alex. The two men made small noises of sleepy protest but Skinner turned Fox to face him and Fox drowsily cuddled into his larger frame. Alex followed his lover's heat and soon all three were tightly bound, with Fox sandwiched between them. Skinner smiled in satisfaction and fell back to sleep. 

* * *

**Fort Bragg  
Day 2   
Hour 0600 **

Fox knew nothing of all that had transpired, only that his lover had cried out in ecstasy for another. He tossed a flat shell into the wild surf and longed for the gentle tide of the east. The west was too like his life at the moment, wild, vast and unpredictable. He knew he was reaching with the analogies but his mind was plagued by images of sharing his lover. He could excuse himself for wanting Skinner, he'd wanted him for years. But that Alex could so easily turn to him? It made Mulder want to scream. He couldn't blame Alex... he wanted to blame Skinner. More than anything he wanted to take Alex and just leave. He tossed another rock into the cold water and amended that wish, as Skinner would worry too much. He wished he could convince Skinner to leave Alex alone, so that only Fox could touch that perfect body. 

He sensed his partner's approach long before she made a sound. 

She slid down next to him and put a small but steady arm about his waist. 

He smiled a bit. "Shit, Scully. We better not try to investigate any other cult killings... God knows where it will lead us." 

She laughed, huskily. "Well put, Mulder... well put. We should retire right now." 

He leaned into her sweet-smelling warmth. God he loved this woman. She was the only thing that consistently made sense to him. "I am in trouble here, Scully, and I don't know how to fix it." 

She frowned, her eyes turning slightly fierce. "Tell me, and I can help you fix it." 

He smiled gently, the shadow of her partner lurking there, but faintly. 

She grabbed his hands. "I mean it, Mulder. I see how Skinner treats you now. But you aren't what he wants you to be. You are still you... still the most brilliant person I have ever met. Don't let this... whatever has happened take that away from you. You still have so much to do... more than ever." 

At his hopeful, almost grateful look she nodded, a sweet smile masking her intention to knock some sense into Skinner, and into whoever else needed reminding that Mulder was not to be messed with when she was in the picture. 

"Think of all the people out there, having to deal with this... we need to find ways to help them." 

He looked sick then. "I... I didn't think of that... I was too caught up..." 

She shushed him and patted his arm. "So was I. It is natural of course. One day we live one way the next the world is full of monsters and exploding pink lights... filled with sexy Italian men... I mean of course... filled with strange things." 

Mulder laughed and pulled her close, "Yeah right... and other things. You dig Antonio. Don't you?" 

She raised a delicate, red brow and spoiled it by wiggling it suggestively. "Oh God yes, Mulder, I do dig him." 

Mulder laughed and then stared once more out into the sea. "So you are still with me? Still my partner?" 

She hit him, hard. He gasped and yet didn't dare complain. "What kind of question is that?" She hit him again. "Haven't I stayed with you through worse?" 

Her wounded tone and the subsequent ludicrousness of the statement made them both laugh hysterically. They fell to the cool sand together, and for a moment all their worries were far away. 

The men who watched them jealously, envied their rapport and vowed to end it. 

* * *

[email removed]   


Outstanding Skinner AU   
Honorable mention   


09/15/99   
RATING: Very NC-17   
SPOILERS: Probably, but do you care?   
SUMMARY: Alternate Universe After the events of The Changing, the world is ruled by magic and Mulder has to learn to find a role for himself in the new paradigm.   
WARNING: Sexual Assault, Angst, explicit sex ( **consensual and non-consensual** ) between hot men, magic, and B&D. If that isn't your thing or you are below the age of consent. DO NOT READ!!!!!!!!!! My Krycek has two arms and he's going to keep them thank you.   
DISCLAIMER: They aren't mine. They belong to CC and 1013 Productions. I don't make any money... wouldn't take it if I could, just borrowing, you can have them back.   
FEEDBACK: Please and thank you. [email removed]   
Website if applicable: [ http://www.slashingmulder.com/Author_N.htm](http://www.slashingmulder.com/Author_N.htm)   
DEDICATED TO: Megaera for reminding me that the supernatural exists beyond the written word, (but mostly near her home) Thanks to JoB,Cerulean and Michael for their beta and _delicious_ ideas... keep 'em coming love.   
---


	2. The Hunters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Universe After the events of The Changing, the world is ruled by magic and Mulder has to learn to find a role for himself in the new paradigm.

  
**Chapter Two  
The Hunters**

_"I'm going to take my time.  
I have all the time in the world   
To make you mine.   
It is written in the stars above.   
The God's decree.   
You'll be right here by my side   
Right next to me"   
"It's no Good" Depeche Mode_

**Fort Bragg, California  
Day Two   
Hour 0700**

"What are you two glaring at?" Alex sounded sleepy still and the two men turned in unison to watch as he approached them with graceful strides and small, yawning stretches. Both men were distracted immediately as Alex neared. He was definitely a pretty sight in the morning, disheveled and young-looking. Green eyes darted to the two figures on the beach and a soft smile curved his lips when he recognized Fox. "Oh I see now." He gave Walter a disgruntled look. "What? Now Mulder can't even have Scully around?" As Walter's brow raised Alex clicked his tongue sarcastically. "You may find him inflexible on that one Skinner. I think he'd throw _me_ over for her if push came to shove." 

"Good morning, Alex. You are looking exceptionally delicious this morning. I trust you slept well... when your master let you sleep that is." 

The lewd look on Antonio's handsome face irked Skinner and the words infuriated Alex. "No one is my master," Alex spat. 

Antonio was lost for a moment in the beautifully furious green eyes. "You are lovely when you are angry, caro." 

Skinner gritted his teeth and a muscle flexed in his jaw. Alex was _his_ to enjoy, but wisely he avoided stating that in front of the beautiful assassin. "Why don't you go to Fox, Alex. He is upset." 

Alex snapped his gaze to Skinner, and those eyes burned beneath the sweep of lash. "Upset? What did you do to him, Skinner?" 

Skinner smiled gently. How protective of Fox was Alex, Walter thought with pleased amusement. 

"I think, Alex, that it was what I did to you that he is upset about." Walter caressed the dark-stubble face and with a little hiss of disapproval Alex strode off toward his lover and his partner. 

"He may be too much for you to handle, Skinner. What with his attachment to your beautiful Fox. Perhaps I could..." 

"Perhaps you can be careful not to drool on my property." Walter gave Antonio a warning glance but it was brief, he was enjoying the smooth, graceful way that Alex walked. He could see very easily why Murdoch had thought of Alex as a cat... the sleek dark hair, the slut jade eyes, the powerful body, he was a cat, _his_ cat now. 

Antonio stared too, and wished he could taste the muscled flesh... Alex smelled so sweet and he was meant for Anotonio's kind. He watched as his sweet Dana looked up at Alex's approach, they would do well together. He turned to stare at the lanky beauty sitting so close to her... Fox was undoubtedly beautiful, if only he weren't such a bad influence on her. 

Skinner turned and left him to his covetous stares, in search of the rest of the party, and determined to begin... to set up his base of command. He was under no illusions as to his new status. He knew he was the absolute ruler, but he intended to make sure the people who chose to live in his claimed land would be relatively safe from harm. He hoped that he could set up a system as close to the old system of democracy as he could. He knew the world had changed, that he had changed, but he still clung parochially to the ideas he had fought for all his life. The idea of sitting in some palace and commanding the people living in the west was appalling, though he knew many of his brothers were eager to do just that. He realized that Antonio was itching to set himself up a little Sultanate south of the old U.S. border. And he would do nothing to stop him. It would be hard enough to set up a sophisticated government without the trappings of civilization, but it would get done. His first job was to organize the people in the immediate area to collect any dead and burn them, rid the streets of cars and set up irrigation systems for agriculture. He had a million things to do and he was going to enlist the Gunmen. They could put their brains to good use for once, instead of thinking up conspiracy theories and hiding behind copious locks. 

Dana acknowledged Alex's presence with a small, suspicious smile. She wasn't quite sure whether he was in part responsible for Mulder's funk. When Mulder stiffened as he realized that Krycek was standing there, her smile faded and one eyebrow raised a bit. 

Alex saw how Mulder was resisting looking at him and his stomach tightened. "Scully, do you mind if I talk to Mulder in private?" 

She looked at him for a moment and stood slowly. With one last warning look for Alex she left her partner with his lover. 

Mulder looked up at Alex and his body responded a bit to his beauty; he looked away and picked up another stone to throw in the relentless surf. 

Alex watched the rock skip once and then be consumed by the white capped waves. He slid his hand into the pockets of the loose Levi's he was wearing and traced a small pattern in the sand with a naked toe. He stared down at the pattern and nervously cleared his throat. He had failed Mulder so many times since they had admitted how they felt... last night letting Skinner take Mulder while he watched was the most heinous of all his careless moments in the handling of his lover. He stole a look at the beautiful man sitting at his feet and he nervously sat next to him. "Fox?" 

Mulder turned to look at him and there was no accusation in those wide, hazel eyes, but there was a carefully blank expression etched on his face. "Alex?" 

Alex put a hesitant hand on Mulder's thigh, slowly rubbed the soft hair that sparsely peppered the toned muscles. 

"I am sorry." 

Mulder shook his head, angry with himself for being a hypocrite, but unable to banish the jealousy. 

"You don't have anything to be sorry for. I am just going to have to deal with things..." 

"I do have things to be sorry for..." 

"Alex, Skinner is very attractive, and he is incredible in bed... you couldn't help but respond to his touch and his lovemaking... it is..." He stopped abruptly as Alex's face darkened with rage. 

"I take it that is not what you were apologizing for." 

Alex stood angrily. "Maybe that is how you feel about Skinner, Mulder. _I_ was apologizing for not protecting you from him." 

Mulder blinked and then nodded slowly. "I see... so you are still ignoring the fact that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself... and you too I might add!" 

Alex took a slow breath. "Fox, let's not get into that... I stood by and let him... fuck you... I lubed you up! Jesus Christ! What in the fuck is wrong with me?" He ran a hand through his thick, dark hair. 

"And that I let him fuck you? That doesn't bother you?" Mulder's voice was quiet, and Alex missed the growing fury in that voice. 

"What? Baby, you know what I mean..." 

"No, Alex, I don't. Why don't you tell me? Tell me why my feelings are so fucking unimportant. Tell me why how I feel about sharing my _lover_ with someone is utterly subsumed by his archaic, misplaced Neanderthal feelings of self-worth. A self-worth that seems to be based entirely on how well you can protect something that you don't have to, while trampling on something that you should be committed to caring for." 

Alex gaped at his seething, shouting lover. "I can't believe you, Fox! I... you are the only thing I care about. How you feel is more important than anything." He paused as he realized that what he felt in his heart wasn't what he was broadcasting to his lover. He hadn't even considered Fox being jealous. Why? It would have been odd to say the least if he weren't jealous. "I guess I just thought..." 

"No. No you weren't thinking." Fox stood and turned his face toward the forests to his right. "I know we agreed to this... but... I want you for myself. I hate sharing you, Alex. I hate that you loved it." 

Alex shook his head. "I don't know what to say, Fox. You know I love you. You know that." 

Fox looked at him and their eyes met for a silent moment. "Alex, you and I haven't even had the chance to be together... to be lovers. I wanted to live with you, let you cook for me... or I could learn to cook for you. I wanted so much for us." He looked away as his voice caught and he felt tears forming. 

Alex pulled him tight to his strong body. "Oh, baby." 

"I wanted to show you so many things... places I wanted to make love to you... just staring at you for the rest of my life. Now we can't even make love on a beach without... things attacking you..." 

"Shh, c'mon. We're together. And nothing... _nothing_ is going to keep us apart. I swear to you. I swear on my life, Fox Mulder. I am never going to let anything take you away from me." 

Fox held tighter to this wonderful man... this man who had seen so much hardship, so much death and evil and had still come out the other side so loyal and special. "I'm sorry, Alex. I know I'm being selfish." 

"There isn't a selfish bone in your body!" Alex declared angrily. 

"Yes there is. Lot's of them," Fox said quietly. 

Alex had to smile a bit at that. "No, Fox, not even one." 

"I am more worried about how you reacted to Skinner than I am about what has happened in this world. And I know that you..." 

"That I what?" Alex asked as he held Fox even closer. 

"That you need to feel protected... even though you don't admit it," Fox said reluctantly, referring to Alex's obvious appreciation for Skinner's solicitous concern. Alex hadn't been cared for much in his life; his need for a father figure perhaps outweighed Fox's. He had seen the look on Alex's face when they had been in the bathroom and Skinner had dried him. It was that of a child who, not expecting kindness, had received it. He knew that there was nothing to be done about the situation, he only hoped that he could handle seeing Alex fall slowly in love with Skinner. It made him want to steal away with Alex and hide him from the world. But he knew that was a dead dream. A dream only possible in the past. He and Alex were no longer free. No longer free to live out their lives loving each other with no one interfering. Too, he had to admit that he wasn't actually upset about being with Skinner, just Alex being with Skinner. 

Alex frowned and pulled back slightly, just enough to look in Fox's eyes. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?" 

Fox shook his head, "Alex, I don't want to talk about this right now. I just want to... take a walk... feel normal. Will you walk with me... not on the beach... maybe in the woods?" 

Alex nodded, letting the comment pass for now. There was so much that they had put on hold. What was another? 

"Do you think it will be okay with Walter? I mean, I don't know what I mean." 

Alex frowned. "Let's not worry about that right now. He doesn't have full control of what we do." 

"Yes, but we don't know what is out there. I can't stand the thought of something stealing you from me again. God knows what is out there." 

Alex closed his eyes. The need for Skinner's protection was implicit in everything they did. Even to take a walk together was something that had to be planned. He wanted to spend time alone with Fox, but not at the risk of his safety. 

Fox caressed Alex's face. "It's okay, Alex. Let's go back to the cabin. I have so much to talk to you about." He clasped hands with Alex and they walked back toward the one place they could be alone... for a few hours at least... maybe. 

* * *

Once inside the homey cabin Alex caressed Mulder's face. "So, here we are. All alone. No spiders, no interruptions. Talk to me," Alex entreated as he led Fox to the small couch inside the cabin. 

Mulder sat on the couch and pulled Alex down next to him. "I don't remember. I just want to sit here with you." 

Alex stroked Mulder's jaw and lightly touched his lips. "That's okay too." 

Mulder smiled and leaned back into Alex's arms. Alex tightened his grip around him and the two made themselves comfortable, with Fox leaning back into Alex's chest. "I guess I wanted to ask you how you were... _really,_ after your experience, you know." 

Alex stiffened and Fox turned his head to look into Alex's suddenly guarded gaze. 

"There isn't much to say, Fox. I came back to you. I always will." 

"But..." 

"But nothing." 

"I just wanted to know what it is that makes you say his name." 

Alex's eyes went wide with surprise before they were firmly shuttered down once more. "His name?" 

"Garren's... the one who took you. You say his name... you said it in your sleep last night, as well as in the shower." He stroked Alex's muscled thigh. "It's okay, talk to me." 

Alex was stunned by the mention of Garren. He felt his blood begin to burn. Garren. The huge man. He couldn't deny the hot burn the name sent through him. The name represented such beauty, represented incredible strength and such a cock...an incredible organ, hard and huge. Oh God, such strength, such irrefutable intensity. The night skies above him, the meadow around him, the world disappearing until he existed only to belong to his... his mate. "No! No, Fox. I don't want to talk about it. I am home with you... wherever that may be. Can't we just go on from here?" 

Mulder turned to face his lover and he pulled Alex close, feeling the strong body tremble. "I... shh... we don't have to talk about it." 

"I love you, Fox. I do. I don't want you to think that I don't. I'd do anything for..." 

"Shh. C'mon. I know you would." 

Alex grabbed Fox's face in his hands and covered his face with fierce kisses. He kissed his lips, his jaw, his eyes and nose. "Let me love you, Fox. Right here. Right now. Nobody else. Just you and I." 

Mulder lay back, pulling Alex with him. "Right here, right now, nobody else." 

Alex stared into the gentle face so filled with love for him... for _him_ , the Assassin... the cool killer... the useless child whose parents gave him away. He wanted to cry, to hold on to this perfect man forever. Fox was everything he dreamed he himself might have been... had things been different. Had he not been taken from his home and given to the Consortium. Fox was dedicated and humorous, strong but comfortably gentle... so loyal and passionate. Were Fox ugly, he would still be more beautiful than Alex Krycek. That Fox loved him, knowing what he was, made Alex feel at once incredibly small and infinitely blessed. He stared so long into Fox's eyes that their breath came together in comfortable rhythm. He began kissing Fox's face again, more gently, less frantically than before. He kept his eyes open while Fox's slid close under the tender ministrations. 

"Alex." The sigh was a benediction. 

Alex rubbed at Fox's naked nipples and bent to kiss one with a solemn, quick touch. He saw a smile start to form on those lush lips and he continued to press his lips across the smoothly defined chest. After several minutes of the dry butterfly pecks, Fox arched his back and his legs spread around Alex's hips. His body heat was like a beacon to Alex and he groaned wanting to rip the shorts off his lover's body. 

"Please, Alex." 

The entreaty was a whisper in Alex' ear, but it inflamed him impossibly. 

In response Alex pulled the shorts off of Mulder's body, the long legs sliding out with near wanton speed. 

Alex stared first at the swollen cock, hard for him. He looked up to find Fox staring at his own cock, seemingly fascinated by his own flesh. "You are so hard, baby," Alex purred. Fox's eyes flickered up from his spread crotch and met Alex's eyes. "What do you want me to do? What do you want, Fox," Alex asked as he stroked the plump cock with a gentle hand, his thumb rubbing slowly over the slick skin. 

"Just you. Everything you do feels so good." Mulder's voice was husky with want, and his hips were moving in small circles, emulating Alex's sliding thumb. 

Alex unbuttoned his jeans and without waiting another moment he pushed Mulder's legs up and apart. "I want to be inside you. Right now." He couldn't imagine prolonging their lovemaking, all he wanted was to be deep inside Mulder, to reclaim him, reclaim himself. 

Mulder tossed his head back and trembled with anticipation as Alex bent to lick the tight pink flesh, wetting it as much as he could as quickly as possible. The feel of that velvet tongue pressing for entrance made Fox cry out in lust. 

Alex moved back and positioned his cock at the wet, winking entrance. He pushed the head of his cock against the tight flesh and pushed in. The lubrication of pre-cum eased the slide, but both men grunted with the effort. "Tell me if I am hurting you... oh... God you're so tight." 

Mulder pushed up against the tight press and he felt the hot penetration against his prostate. "Oh, Alex... Alex don't stop... don't stop... don't stop." 

Nothing could make Alex stop. He slid in until his balls rested against Fox upturned cheeks. "Do yourself. Do it for me." 

Fox moved his hand to his cock. He toyed with the tip, sliding his thumb over the wet tip with enough pressure to push in the flesh. Alex licked his lips watching those long fingers toy with the pretty cock. He began to thrust slowly, deeply into the hot sheath and the couch groaned under his efforts. He could see Fox's eyes begin to lose focus, but he saw everything, every pulse of blood in Fox's jugular vein, every wet lick of his lips, every sliding motion of his hand. He could see how the fine hair slid down over Fox's forehead as his head thrashed to and fro. He bent to devour that open mouth and Fox bit at Alex's tongue with such passion that it caused a frenzy in Alex. He thrust almost brutally into Fox. He couldn't stop, kept pounding, his lover's body jerking under his strength. The pleasure became a spiraling crescendo until both men were screaming, all thought lost... there was only the slide of cock and the sound of flesh pounding flesh. 

* * *

Antonio closed his eyes and saw them. They were beautiful, wild, uninhibited. Wanton. He was in the room with them. Actually he was willing himself to be in the room, willing himself to witness their abandoned lovemaking, an uninvited specter. Standing by the couch so close he could smell the sweat and hear the passion building to screams. Oh how he wanted to be able to touch, but his power could not allow him the luxury of that, so he stood and watched, covetous and resentful. Why should Skinner have these two? Both so nearly irresistible... so different from all other... boring humans. Why should Skinner lay claim to them all? 

"Antonio?" 

The soft voice brought him back to himself with such speed he was momentarily dizzy. He looked into Dana's concerned eyes and he managed a smile for her. 

"Where were you?" She had joined him on the small deck of the boathouse, where he stood looking sightlessly out to sea. 

He started. "What? What do you mean?" He couldn't imagine that she, a mere human, could know what he was capable of. 

"You seemed a million miles away just now. What were you thinking about?" 

He slid an arm about her small frame, drawing her close. "About expanding our family, cara, about expanding our family." 

She flushed, the color beautiful on her pale skin. He kissed her red lips. She was a treasure and there was no doubt, but he was no longer just a man, he was a God. Why shouldn't he have everything he desired? Already he longed to move south where he could organize his own piece of the world. He didn't want to hurt the humans beneath him, would in fact like to see them prosper, but they would be _beneath_ him. He would only elevate his queen and any other human changed like her. Fox was so pretty, but he saw what Skinner could not. Fox was dedicated to Alex. Alex was fiercely dedicated to Fox. They had to be separated. They could not be allowed to choose their lovers. They should have no say in who spread them wide. It went against everything that the new world dictated. He and his brothers ruled. The forces from the other places would roam. Changed humans were the prize and reward for the powerful. And humans were the workers as well as amusement. Changed humans were too rare to squander. He ignored the niggling logic that argued within him that questioned as to why having Alex and Dana in his bed was any different than Skinner having Fox and Alex in his. He resented leaving so soon with Skinner, before laying claim to other changed humans in D.C. Murdoch surely had the lion's share. He needed several other females and a few males for breeding stock. While he loved his Dana, she would, one day, pass away and he didn't intend to be without her kind. He was carrying on a conversation with his Dana while his presence returned to the two lovers. They were still now, Alex kissing Fox's beautiful face as Fox blinked without comprehension. Alex was chuckling over his lover's state and Antonio couldn't stem the desire to be the cause of that dazed expression on Fox's face. He watched as Alex moved his lover so that they both lay on their sides with Fox's back to Alex's belly, both men facing out from the couch. He watched as the two slid into sleep. He and Dana sat talking about inconsequential things, getting to know one another and staring appreciatively at one another for over an hour. 

"Scully, Antonio," Skinner said quietly, uncomfortable about breaking up their intimate moment. 

"Sir! Where have you been? Did you go to town? Are the people okay?" Dana asked excitedly, her eyes wide with concern. 

Scully had pulled away from Antonio and he frowned. What business did she have worrying about Skinner's affairs? "Cara, don't bother him about these things. Let him deal with his people. You needn't worry yourself with details." She gave him such a hot look of surprised anger that his eyes widened in astonishment. To change the subject he turned to Skinner. "Your possessions are quite amorous. They have been fucking like hot little rabbits for the longest time." 

Skinner glowered at him and Dana gasped. 

"Possessions? Did you just say possessions?" Dana's voice was quiet and Antonio mistook her tone for calm. 

Skinner, who knew his agent, held up a hand. "I have been to the town and the people are in need of medical assistance. There are several doctors there, but not enough, they could use your help, Scully." 

"What? They cannot expect her to work among them!" Antonio was astounded. Dana was to live a life of a pampered queen, not a toiling peasant. 

"Okay, that is it. I am going to go talk to my mother. You two GODS talk." She stormed off while Antonio glared at Skinner. 

Skinner watched her leave. "Those people need her expertise, Antonio. This isn't a fantasyland where we all live happily ever after. And if you want to do well with her you might try to understand her needs." 

Antonio laughed at that. "Oh? Like you understand your Fox's or your Alex's? You know they simply want to be with one another and yet you force them to your bed like the concubines they are. Admit it!" 

Skinner scowled. "They had a choice." 

"Oh yes, what a choice. Yield to you or become raw meat for those that hunt? You knew they would choose what they chose. What is more, my powerful friend, you would not have let them leave had they made such a reckless choice. This is not a fantasyland? You are living out your fantasies with the pretty Fox. You know all our brothers would kill to have what you have. Don't lie to me, lie to yourself, or lie to your two slaves..." 

"They are not slaves, Antonio." Skinner was tired. The people of the town had been so quiet. So shocked. In the night children had been taken off by creatures that flew from the sky, only the sound of leathery wings beating at the air marking their dark passage. The spider creatures had attacked as well, and an old woman had hysterically proclaimed that giant, hairy men had taken her husband from his car and devoured him where he stood. She had grasped Skinner's arm and handed him an old walking stick, the only thing she knew to give him to make him understand her grief. The stick had been her husband's and he had used it to try and fight off the impossibly huge beasts. He felt sick to his stomach, and yet he knew the night would come more peaceful this night. He was projecting his will over a larger area every moment. Every day he felt his power grow... not to move objects or to kill enemies but to shield. He would shield as large an area as he could, it wouldn't keep all the creatures out, but it would make it safer for the people. Even now the lesser creatures were slinking east toward the strength of Murdoch. "They are not slaves." He moved past Antonio. 

"They are slaves, Skinner, and they need to be put in their place. They pleasure themselves with no thought to serving your needs. They lie spent on the little couch, not aching for release at your whim. You need to realize what you are! What _they_ are." 

"If I were you, I would worry about your relationship with Dana, and stop worrying about my life," Skinner growled. 

"I worry because you seem to think thing are not changed. How can you hold your place when you insist on thinking like a human?" 

"I am human, Antonio. I define human a bit differently than you do apparently, but that is not my concern. What happened to us is a greater responsibility than it is a gift. If you can't see that then perhaps you ought to cleave to Murdoch and his kind. We are here to make sure the world goes on, that the balance of power does not..." 

"Dribble, drabble! You can preach all you like my brother, but your perception is skewed. You can organize as many irrigating committees, appoint all the councils you like to run the cities, but it is you and you alone who are the ruler here. Think you that these people will thank you for your largesse? No, they will think it their due. They are still infected with the notion of democracy, that it is they the people who ultimately make the decisions. Pandering to them will not ease the transition." 

Skinner stared at the man for a long moment. "I happen to be infected with the very same notion, Antonio. I too think that the decisions should belong with the people as far as they are able. I am not blind to what has transpired, but my role is to protect them so they can live out normal lives. I'd suggest that you do the same." 

"And what of Fox and Alex? Are they living in a little democracy? Or are they harem boys, completely existing for your pleasure?" He stared for a moment at the large bulge in Skinner's cotton pants. "Well-used harem boys at that." 

Skinner had enough. "You know as well as I that they, Dana and even the Gunmen are changed. They are neither safe nor truly free anymore. I hope to give them the illusion that they are as best as I am able. I suggest you do the same for Dana." 

* * *

**Grant,Illinois  
Day Two   
Hour 1000**

Garren walked into the town center and the few people still on the street looked at him warily. They were somewhere near Springfield Illinois. Cities were unimportant, what he knew, what he sensed was that he was near where three great rivers roamed. The Ohio, and the joining of the Mississippi and the Missouri. He sensed the moving waters even if the Ohio was so many miles away. He and his pack had stayed south of that river, moving north out of Kentucky, dodging rivers as they moved implacably west. But one could not go further west without passing the rolling waters of those two great rivers. He would cross a bridge. He had to, it was that simple. In his life he had crossed many a bridge and it was never a pleasant experience. He could go north and into Canada, then west, but it would take much too long. He was hunting his cat and he would take the shortest route possible. 

Garren had found a store that had clothes big enough to fit his frame and his pack members, who too were in human form, had followed his lead and dressed themselves. He wore tan khakis and a black T-shirt, with comfortable slip-on black shoes. He cared little for style, he just wanted to walk in the town amongst the humans, talk to them, and find if anything interesting could be hunted there, hear how lovely the new world was. After he retrieved his mate he would carve out his own lands... with plenty of room to roam. He tied his shoulder-length hair back with a plain black band, keeping the silken gold lock from sliding into his face. He saw several women staring at him and he smiled at them, fully aware of how beautiful he was. 

"Is there something particular you are looking for, Garren?" One of his pack asked respectfully. 

"No. I am just shopping," Garren responded with a grin. 

The pack members glowered at the people who stared at them. A wolf of African descent ran a hand through his curly hair. "We should eat them all, right now." He licked his soft lips, perfect teeth shining brightly as he grimaced. Humans made him nervous. All his life they had been prey to him, not companions or objects of lust as they were to most of the pack when in human form. He wanted to change and tear at their soft, hairless throats, feel the hot splash of blood, taste the sweet meat. He felt his hands curl in response to his growing bloodlust. They smelled so good to him... as good as a turkey dinner with all the trimmings smelled to humans on Thanksgiving. 

"Jason, you surprise me. I would think one of your cunning would be smarter than that." Garren spared the big, dark man a short glance, the Siberian eyes cold and frightening. 

Jason shivered and the blood lust dissipated in the wake of needing to please the pack leader. "I apologize, Garren. I would never attack a group of humans in the daylight... unprovoked. That is stupid. Unless... unless you wished me too. Then it wouldn't be stupid," Jason finished in a nervous voice. 

"And you forgot that humans are our only amusement on this Earth. And as such it would displease me greatly to see them extinct even in this dawning of our world," Garren wasn't even looking at the big, trembling male, but his displeasure made all the men want to change and kneel before him subserviently, claws extended to show their worth as hunters. 

"Of course, Garren. To displease you is the last thing I would ever wish for." Jason kept his amber eyes down, his head hung low, just enough to show his submission in human form. 

Garren saw more people coming out from the stores and apartments that lined the street of this typical Mid-West, close-knit community. Several men gathered to confront the big strangers, every last one had a shotgun in his hand. Their faces were guarded. 

One man stepped apart from the group; he wore a bloodstained uniform. His shiny badge proclaimed him as a lawman. "So, gentlemen, what can we do for you? What are you doing in Grant?" His voice was gruff, as if too many cigarettes had been inhaled over his years. 

Garren held out his hand. "Well, you can tell us if there is still a diner open somewhere. My friends and I are hungry." He cast a small icy look at one of his pack who thought that funny and who laughed a bit. The laugh was stifled immediately. Garren turned back to the lawman who had narrowed his eyes at the unusual reaction to such a simple statement. 

"Well, we can certainly get you boys fed..." 

"Sheriff, ask them why they don't look as if they came across any trouble at all!" A woman standing on the side of the street looked suspicious and angry as she called out her suggestion for the interrogation. 

The sheriff nodded. "That's a fair question. Well boys?" 

Garren nodded. "It is indeed fair. We hid... very well." 

"You can't hide from those damn wolf things. They can smell you ten miles away. I saw two of 'em tear up Stan and Roy... without any problem... and Stan and Roy were All-stars!" The man who spoke was standing just behind the sheriff. 

"Wolf things?" Garren asked, wondering where the wolves the men referred to were. They were probably members of the community, maybe nearby. 

"You missed those huh? Well they're doozies all right. The others... the dead things, well they're slow suckers and any kid can pop 'em off, but those wolves... uh uh... they're demons." This from a younger woman who held her own gun easily in her small hands. 

Garren smiled at her, she was a pretty little thing. Her skin was free of make-up and was a smooth as porcelain. She smelled nice too. She would make good breeding stock for pretty humans, with her flaxen hair and full lips. "They sound terrible. Did they kill many of you?" 

"Since this craziness started? I'd say about twenty people," she answered. 

The sheriff looked at the silent men behind the big blonde wondering why they remained silent. They seemed to want to speak, but were unusually reticent. He'd spent twenty years in the military, and he'd never seen such studied deference to another male. 

"What your name then, son?" The question was directed to Garren, but his eyes flickered to the others. 

"I am called Garren." 

"Called Garren? What does that mean? Is it your name or isn't it, boy?" The sheriff barked. 

Jason and his two pack-mates growled at the condescending tone directed to Garren. He moved forward but a small movement by Garren stopped him. 

"It is my name." Garren thought it funny how this human, how all humans mistook his youthful appearance for youth. He was centuries old, but he looked to be twenty. Garren was more than just a name. It was the word that meant to the pack, Leader or in human terms, king. Funny. It had always shocked Murdoch's little followers that members of the pack called him by name, not knowing that it was a show of respect, the highest form of respect. 

"Well then come on. We'll get you and your friends fed. We'll want to ask you more questions after though." 

Garren nodded, "Sure." 

They were led to a little diner just a few feet from where they had been speaking. The sheriff spoke to the old man who had habitually donned his white smock and requested that they be fed. 

After eating inordinate amounts of food Garren and his pack members left the diner to find the sheriff and more men standing on the curb. They were in an intense discussion on how best to defend against any threat that would surely come with the night. One young man, larger than the rest, had joined the group. He seemed intent on the map the sheriff was referring to, his large amber eyes intent. After a moment his nostrils flared a bit and he looked up stunned. His huge muscles bunched and a smile crossed his face as he stared at Garren and his three companions, before it was replaced by fear. He lowered his eyes and dipped his head down so low he seemed intent on bending in half, urine trickled down his leg, wetting the worn denim in a embarrassing flood. 

"Well, what in the hell is wrong with you, Buddy?" A young man asked the large male. 

Garren watched, amused as the men standing near the big youth stared amazed at his odd behavior, their eyes widening at the urine stain that grew on the huge thigh. 

"Garren," Buddy whispered. 

The sheriff started. "You know this boy, Buddy?" 

Buddy grabbed the Sheriff in a strong hand, nearly lifting the stunned man off the ground. He snarled at the sheriff for his disrespect. 

This was such a young wolf... a pup really, surely only as old as he looked in human years. So easy to excuse stupid actions. Garren thought. 

Garren moved too fast for the other humans to react and he pulled the pup off the sheriff. He glared at the shivering pup and pushed him away. Buddy fell to the dirt where he stayed, not moving save for his small tremors of fear. He had never expected to ever meet Garren, never! 

The sheriff was eyeing the young man with a look of utter shock. He had always been such a fine lad. Buddy's mother ran up to her boy and the sheriff could swear she was trembling just as hard as her son. She lay a protective hand on Buddy's massive shoulder, but her eyes darted nervously to the young blonde stranger. 

"What in the blue blazes is wrong with you, Buddy?" The sheriff was straightening his shirt. 

"Forgive him. He is young, "The mother said quietly. 

"Well, shit, Stella, I'm young too but you don't see me attacking the sheriff," piped a skinny youth whose gun was bigger than he. 

Stella looked straight at Garren, before quickly dropping her gaze and lowering her head. The apology directed only to Garren. 

"How'd you know his name, Buddy?" The pretty young girl asked softly from her perch on a wooden bench. 

Garren was growing bored with this town. His mate was far away and needing him and that was his only priority, not assuaging the curiosity of these people. He simply walked away from the group. 

"Whoa, boy. Where do you think you are going?" One of the men grabbed Garren's arm, the gun in his hand giving him a false sense of security as he grabbed the huge man. 'You aren't going anywhere, no how. Not until we figure just what all this is about." 

Garren sensed his five pack member's rage at this touching and he grinned. He ran a gentle hand over the little man's face before his claws shredded the skin of the man's fragile face. "Take them. Take them all," he said quietly, the tone a command. His pack began to change immediately and the humans screamed as the three wolves who had come into town with Garren grew into frightening beasts. The woman Stella and her pup changed too and the slaughter began. He cast one last look at the pretty girl who was shooting madly at the black wolf that was coming toward her. Her throat was gripped in a cavernous jaw and blood created a crimson blush over her porcelain skin. Garren shrugged. There was plenty of breeding stock out there. He walked out of the town as the screams and sound of slaughter sounded. His pack would find him later, after. After no person walked in the town, after Garren's orders had been followed to the letter. Garren had no doubts that they would hunt madly for any survivor and tear them limb from limb to please him. The scent of fresh blood assaulted his senses but his mind focussed on his little cat. How he longed for him, longed to sink into that beautiful body and hear the cat mewl and whimper his name. He broke into a run, shedding his new clothes and changing to give speed to his hunt, the most important hunt of all, the one that led to his mate. 

* * *

**Fort Bragg, California  
Day Two   
Hour 1030**

Skinner came in to the cabin and he stopped short. Alex was lying behind Fox, kissing Mulder's face sleepily as Mulder blinked and breathed deeply. They had both been asleep and Skinner thought they looked adorable. Alex chuckled and bit Fox's chin. "Come back to me, baby." 

Skinner admired the scene with the air of an art aficionado. Alex was still dressed but that didn't keep Skinner from admiring the muscular lines. The contrast between his assassin's state of dress and Fox's utter nudity was almost unbearable sexy. 

"My, you two have been busy," Skinner growled huskily. 

Alex turned to stare at Skinner in surprise. He was losing all his perception. He should have been able to hear Skinner long before he came into the cabin. Fox was an intoxicating distraction. Ridiculous though it was, he moved his leg to cover Fox's body in order to cover his nudity. Ridiculous because he had given Fox to this man last night. Still, he was reluctant to show Skinner anything now. 

Fox flushed to be caught in such a position. He stared into Skinner's warm eyes and cleared his throat. "Alex, let me up." 

Alex frowned and slid out of Fox, the sound unmistakable and Skinner couldn't help but smile as Alex tried to conceal Fox's nudity. For his part Fox was unconcerned and finally sighed in frustration as Alex kept so close to him that he couldn't reach his shorts. 

"Alex! My shorts." 

"You don't really need them, Fox," Skinner husked. 

Alex stood between the two men as he pushed himself back into his pants and buttoned them hurridly. He wanted to say something, anything that would stop this. He looked into Skinner's eyes and frowned. The man seemed tired, bone tired. 

Fox slid on his shorts despite Skinner's quip and cleared his throat. "Sir? Where did you go?" 

Skinner sighed, and ran a hand over his balding head. "I went to town. I am trying to get a handle on this situation." 

"You should have told me! I wanted to go..." 

"You and Alex needed some time alone," Walter sighed. 

"Don't patronize us, Skinner," Alex spat out. "We need more than..." 

"Remember what I said, Alex. No discussions after your decision. I am not going to have to convince you everyday that you made the right decision. I have too much to deal with, to deal with your little pouts." 

Alex sputtered. "Pouts?" He looked at Fox who was scowling. "I have never pouted in my life, Skinner, and I don't plan on starting now." 

"Go take a shower, Fox. Alex and I have some things to discuss. You look tired still. Why not take a nap once you are clean?" Walter gestured to the bathroom with a flick of his wrist. 

"Naps? Pouts? We aren't children, Skinner," Alex hissed. 

"Fox? Go on. Alex and I really have some lines to square." 

Fox spread his hands on Alex's back and lay his head on Alex's broad shoulder for a moment. He was unduly tired, but unwilling to leave Alex to face Skinner's ire. He was sure Skinner wouldn't hurt Alex, but this was a discussion really for them all. 

"I would rather stay. I am part of this." 

"Yes, Mulder, you are. But I am asking you to give Alex and I time to discuss this alone," Skinner asked. 

"Fox, he's right. He and I have things to 'square'. I think you should take a shower and I'll join you soon," Alex said stiffly. 

Mulder tightened his grip, but then decided not to argue. What was the point? Both men were too stubborn to argue with, especially when he just wanted to sleep. With a considering look at Skinner he made his way toward the bathroom. 

"Let's take a walk, Alex," Skinner suggested. 

Alex went through the door, but Skinner didn't come out right away. He came out and handed Alex a jacket. "It is getting cold," he said almost apologetically. 

Alex glared, his lips tight, but inside he wondered why Skinner cared. Was it because he wanted him, simply protecting his interest? Or was he genuinely concerned? The man Skinner had been before this was unquestionably honorable. This new Skinner, was an enigma. He took what he wanted, but he was strangely comforted, drawn even, to Skinner's strength. He felt intuitively that Skinner was stronger than he knew. He took the jacket after a few moments and the two men walked away from the cabin and toward the cool forest. 

* * *

Mulder quickly showered, he wanted to sink into the large bed and sleep for days. He could understand his exhaustion. The last few days had been traumatic. Murdoch was far away to the east, but his touch lingered on the edge of Mulder's perception. He shivered. Those eyes so black and the way they would glow in unearthly light. That he was inhuman was utterly apparent. Mulder hoped that Skinner was strong enough to protect him from the man. He heard himself begging to come, begging for more. He shook his head and rinsed off the soap quickly. After toweling himself off he went to the bed too tired, too anxious to block out his memories to dress. He slid beneath the clean sheets, dimly wondering who had changed them before sleep took him. 

He woke in the dark, so cold. He shivered and huddled into a ball, the darkness was without relief. "Alex?" he asked softly, certain his lover could not be too far. "S-s-so cold, Alex." His voice echoed and he closed his eyes, unbidden fears assaulting him. Warmth surrounded him as strong arms held him close and pulled him back into a muscled body. The scent of his lover calmed him and he wondered if he were dreaming this inky darkness. He turned into his lover's embrace and warmed his chilled face in that perfect spot between chin and chest. "It is so cold," he murmured, stretching his legs out against the muscled ones next to him. 

"I'll warm you, Fox, I'll warm you." 

Alex's voice was nearly silent, it was so faint and yet Fox took comfort even in that. Mulder felt the hard length of Alex's cock swell against his own redolent flesh and he began to kiss Alex's salty neck. "You taste so good, Alex." 

"Shh. No words now, Fox... my precious little, Fox. You can never get away from me." 

Fox was rolled to his back and his lips devoured, and still the darkness was absolute. His mind began to stutter along over the familiarity of this kiss, so familiar and yet something different. A strong hand gripped his penis and stroked it to hardness. 

"Wrap your legs around me, beg me, beg me, sweetling." 

Fox whimpered, caught between desire and need. He was still so cold, but Alex's voice soothed even as it caused his breathing to grow ragged. 

"Please, Alex..." 

"No words, Fox. Beg me with your beautiful body. It looks so pretty in the blackness." 

Fox pumped his hips up to meet the greedy hand and he tossed his head as Alex bit him on the shoulder. He cried out as Alex sucked hard on the marked flesh and he spread his legs, beginning to writhe with the need for more. He rubbed his legs along Alex's huge... torso. The size of him joining in the taste of him in familiarity that confused him. 

"Moan for me, Fox. Make me want to pound you so hard that it is almost an agony to take it. Make me want to tear you apart, to hear you scream in pleasure and pain." 

The words inflamed him and he wanted it. Wanted to be taken fiercely. He couldn't stop the gasping moans as his legs were grasped and pushed against his chest. He moved his body urgently, he wanted what surely waited to impale him. Huge and demanding. He choked out a scream as at once Alex bit his lips and shoved the tip of his cockhead inside his anus. 

"So beautiful here, in the blackness. So tight and hot in the cold." Alex's voice was sibilant and dark. His cock slammed in all the way and Fox screamed. "Yes, yes, you are so perfect," Alex's voice whispered, the words a dark echo in the thick black of the room. 

Fox opened his eyes, not realizing until he did so that he had kept them closed throughout. The darkness was so dense he could not even see the faintest outline of his big lover. The rhythmic pounding nearly drove all reason from him. He opened his mouth to beg for more... to beg for less... he didn't know which, only that he felt as if he would split in two. His eyes found his lover's in the darkness and they glowed orange. He screamed again. 

"You will always be mine, Foxling. Always." 

The scream woke him and he sat up in the bed another scream waiting to be born, poised on his lips. He looked at the bed around him. The sheets were off and he lay shivering on the soft mattress. His eyes darted about the room trying to understand that it had just been a dream, when he felt the throbbing of his body. He groaned his denial and stood shakily. His nipples were throbbing and his lips and neck were sore. He walked to he mirror, feeling the unmistakable stretched feeling in his ass. There were no marks on his body, but when he touched where he knew he had been bitten there was a dull pain. He turned and looked at the bed. A small droplet of blood adorned the sheets, a testimony to the reality of his experience. He shuddered. It had to be a dream. Murdoch was thousands of miles away. Wasn't he? His heart, already racing from the dream, began to pound at his chest with insistent rhythm and he pulled on jeans and a T-shirt. He bit his lip to still any unmanly sounds of fear as he sat gingerly on the bed pulling on shoes. His body pulsed with unfulfilled passion and he had the distinct impulse to lie once more on the bed, naked and waiting. The light of the day filled the room, a stark contrast to the utter darkness of his dream and yet he felt Murdoch inside him, beckoning and insistent. He dashed out of the room in search of his lovers. He didn't question his desire to be with both Skinner and Alex, he just knew he wanted to find them. "You'll always be mine, Foxling." The disembodied voice had sworn this, and Fox feared that Skinner might not be strong enough to alter the prophetic nature of the claim. Without thinking he turned to the cool shadows of pine and hurried into the forest. 

* * *

**Murdoch Family Estate  
Sirius   
Annapolis, Maryland   
Day Two   
Hour 1100**

Murdoch returned from the blackness of the other place, the place where so long his kind had existed. Free now to roam and to become the hunters once more, the darkness still appealed. Fox had been so beautiful, so responsive. He had woken too soon, for Murdoch longed to fill him with his seed once more. But, he grinned, he had to sleep alone again. It had been a bit of a stretch to compel his prince to sleep, to come to him, but it had been worth it. He could taste Foxling's blood in his mouth and he smiled. Just a little nip. Nothing to scar or mar his beauty. His cock throbbed still unquenched and needy. He called for his favorite Foxling-a-like to be brought to him. When the young man, who had once been named Michael, was brought before Murdoch. Murdoch decided to play with him in bed, instead of the sling. The pretty, swollen lips were so like his Foxling... so close that Murdoch took only small nips from him as he reamed him as hard as he wished to do to his errant prince. Skinner would not hold him for long. Already his chosen guards were taking flight and heading toward his prince to find the best opportunity to take him from Skinner and bring him home to Murdoch. 

The Schells were not perfect guards as they were loath to be near each other and had no hierarchical structure of discipline. They served Murdoch of course, but did not have a pack mentality that served to make the best symbiotic unit of defense. Too, the Schells were not as efficient as hunters as were Garren's pack, but they were strong, and unlike vampires they could fly by day as well as night. Schells were what humans called gargoyles. Humans had used the likeness of Schells for centuries to ward off evil, not knowing that the stone images served only to warn off Schells, who would avoid another Schell if at all possible. And so it was a hunt of several independent hunters who flew miles apart and who did not communicate with one another, who went west to reclaim their master's prize. 

"Shall we bring in a slave to torture, my pet?" Murdoch murmured into the sweet neck of his prize. 

Michael shuddered. The torture of humans was Murdoch's favorite pastime, save for sex. The screams and begging of the victim as he was slowly tortured to death always made Michael sick. 

"Would you like that, sweetling?" 

Michael nodded his agreement, and then in a surprising bid for freedom he shook his head. "No. No I hate it." He could only hope that Murdoch would kill him for his disobedience, as death could be his only savior. He was disappointed when Murdoch simply chuckled. His courage gone, Michael steeled himself as a man, wearing a torn SWAT uniform was brought in by human guards. 

"One of the cities finest I see," Murdoch said happily as his Foxling-a-like shuddered. 

* * *

**Fort Bragg, California  
Day Two   
Hour 1100**

Alex stopped walking after he and Skinner had walked for ten minutes in silence. He leaned against the near-black trunk of a towering pine. "What are we doing, Skinner? I mean you and I and Mulder." 

Skinner couldn't stop from appreciating how beautiful Alex was, but his words were serious and they deserved a straight answer. "We are trying to form a family of sorts. Believe me I don't want to influence you or to force this, but I want you both. If it weren't me, Alex, it would be someone else, and I think you know it." 

Alex wanted to protest that notion, but he knew it was true. 

"Think about it, Alex. Do you think anyone else would let you two retain any freedom? I know you can't immediately absorb the enormity of what has happened, but you and Mulder are changed, you will never be free, not really. I want you two to be with me, in bed and out of it. I know you both can help me with what I want for this world." 

"And what is that, Skinner?" 

"I want people... my people I guess, to live without fear of the creatures we've seen, without fear of me. I know what I am, Alex. I know what I could do, but it is what I _should_ do that drives me. I really do believe in the things I have always fought for." 

Alex saw the truth in those chocolate eyes. "What is going to happen?" 

"I don't know. I really don't. I am asking you to help me though. Don't fight me. I can't change what has happened, nor will I apologize for claiming you or Mulder, but we can make it work if you stop fighting me." 

Alex ran a hand through his dark hair but was startled as Skinner pulled him into a gentle embrace. Their eyes met and for a moment there was only concern in Walter's eyes before it was replaced with desire. He kissed Alex's lips, his tongue seeking entrance. 

Alex pulled back with a small sound. "I can't help but feel like this is wrong. I love Fox, Skinner. With every part of me, I love him. If..." 

"I love him too, Alex. This isn't wrong." 

"He would think so," Alex whispered. 

"Maybe. But not for long. Soon he will accept it, if you set an example." 

"Set an example? I wouldn't want to find him alone with you. How can I expect him to..?" 

"You can know that I will love you both, that I want you two to love each other. I won't try to come between you... I won't. Can't you see that? Can't you see that anyone else would?" 

Alex nodded. "Yes, yes I do, but..." His words were swallowed by Skinner's mouth and he was drawn to the security of strength and gentle passion inherent in that moist embrace. He let himself forget his inhibitions and his worry of Fox's reaction and let Skinner's tongue slide into his mouth. 

Skinner tasted Alex's submission, knowing it wasn't absolute, knowing that this was not the end of it, but for the moment Alex was allowing this without any pushing by Skinner's mind. He placed both hands in Alex's thick, black hair and his fingers tightened in the smooth gloss. He felt Alex respond to his passion and he had to restrain his instinctive response to take him right there on the bed of pine needles. The image of Alex spread open in the beautiful forest almost overpowering. He broke the kiss before he could act on his instinct to take this changed human, to own him as was Skinner's right, his inheritance. It was more to fight his own in-human nature that he drew away from the sexy man. The sigh of disappointment from this sexual being nearly broke his resolve, but this was a delicate time. He needed Alex's support. Fox would undoubtedly follow his own inclinations, but Skinner knew that Alex's acquiescence would go a long way in giving Mulder the extra push he needed to succumb to his desire to become Skinner's own. 

"Alex. Alex, we can make this work for all of us. Will you at least try?" 

Alex nodded. "I can't promise..." 

"No. But try." 

Alex nodded again. "I want to get back to Fox. I'm worried with him alone. Those things on the beach yesterday... and God knows what else. He thinks he can take care of himself, but we both know he is no killer. He'd rather arrest than murder." 

Skinner grinned. "I wouldn't worry about that, Alex. That is one of my goals. To rid my land of the hunters. Already they retreat. As for Mulder's reluctance to kill, I appreciate it. That is what I love about him, his integrity." A mischievous glint played in his eyes. "That and his incredible looks." 

Alex smiled. "Only you could get away with saying that you know?" 

Skinner took that for what it was, an olive branch. 

* * *

**Military Installation  
Domed Mountain   
Armatise, Colorado   
Four Miles Deep   
Day Two   
Hour 0100**

William Mulder walked through the metal corridor, taking the first left in the warren of corridors that led to countless chambers. He had rested for a bit before searching out his closest, and most trusted cohort. He entered the smoke-filled room and frowned at the man who sat smoking, reading a file. "Put that damned thing out, Spender." 

Spender slowly snuffed out his Morley and turned to look at his old friend, as always, wondering how the man who had once looked to him for direction had taken over the Consortium. "Bill, how did the discussion go? Will the technology be ours? What of colonization?" 

William looked at his old friend and sat in a chair opposite him. "Don't be a fool, Christian, the invasion, colonization... everything our allies intended is in shambles. The forces that rule now are too powerful, our allies know it." 

"Then it was all for naught! All our machinations, all our sacrifices for nothing." 

William smiled. "It isn't like you to give up so easily, old friend. Have I kept you in power despite your detractors for nothing? You have never given up as long as I have known you. You even killed your own flesh to further our goals. What other man would have done that?" 

Spender smiled and reached for another cigarette, which he held unlit in his stained fingers. "You would." 

"And had I done so we would be without our best chance at success." 

"And here I thought you protected him over the years due to some lingering affection for your son," Spender quipped. 

William smiled. "He is a beautiful man, how could I not be proud to have created him? And now that creation will buy us power. Funny how these things work out isn't it?" 

Spender smiled. "You refer to former ADIC Murdoch's desire for the irrepressible Agent Mulder?" 

William smiled and took a sip of his brandy, handed to him by an unobtrusive servant. "My son. My son the concubine to the world's new ruler. Do you think I will be invited to the wedding?" 

Spender laughed and then grew serious. "What do they want? Our allies?" 

"Nothing we can't provide. Once we hand over my son to this Ascendant. And then, my friend, we take our place of power." He sighed in pleasure. "Actually, this situation is far more desirable than that which would have been under colonization. Far more desirable. Our allies could never have been trusted not to extinguish all our rights. This world is one that I could never have dreamed of. And it is all ours, once my son is spread out and caught." 

"To your son's beauty then," Spender toasted, wondering where his assassin was. Alex Krycek was very much on his mind of late. He had become used to the man under his thumb, among other things. Once the network of spies was reestablished he would set out to find the needle in the haystack. "Where is he?" 

"My son, or your obsession?" William asked. He was well aware of Spender's desire for Krycek. His only saving grace was that he had never let that obsession sway him from their goals. 

Spender smiled but didn't deign to answer that. 

"He is in the west. With Skinner." 

* * *

**Fort Bragg, California  
Day Two   
Hour 1230**

Mulder wandered in the woods, with every step the dream faded. He rationalized the sensations in his body down to his recent lovemaking with Alex, and to the night before with both Alex and Skinner. He ran a hand through his hair and wondered just how he was going to deal with the situation. 

"Fox? What are you doing?" 

Mulder looked up at the sound of Alex's voice. Alex and Skinner were making their way toward him and he smiled in welcome. The dream moved from his mind completely. 

"Looking for you two," he said, relieved. 

Alex walked to meet Mulder and he touched Mulder's face with a gentle hand. "I thought you were going to nap." 

"I wasn't as tired as I thought. So, did you two have an interesting conversation?" He tried but he couldn't quite keep the note of jealousy out of his voice. 

Skinner looked at Alex and tilted his head with overt suggestion. 

Alex cleared his throat and withdrew his hand from Fox's face. "Yes, we did. Well, I am going to go back. I'll see if there is anything edible." With that he left Mulder alone with Skinner. 

Mulder was surprised by that, and it showed on his face. 

Skinner smiled gratefully at Alex's retreating back. When Mulder gave him a loaded stare he held up his hands innocently. "I'm not doing anything. He and I have just come to an understanding of sorts." 

"Oh? And what is that?" 

Skinner smiled again. "Oh, just to try and get along. Why don't we go back too? I am getting hungry." 

Mulder cleared his throat. "I want you to leave Alex alone. I mean if you want me that's fine, but you can't have him." His hazel eyes were filled with determination. 

"C'mon, Mulder, let's go back. In time you'll accept the situation. It won't help you to fight it. I think you know that I won't give up Alex." 

Mulder bit his lower lip. "Why not? You hate him." 

"I don't hate him. I never did. All that is past is irrelevant now. I want him. I want you. And you know you both want me. There is no more to be said on it. Now, let's go." Skinner decided to take a different tact with Mulder, as cajoling him into it would be useless. Mulder wanted to feel forced into it, to lessen the guilt he felt for wanting Skinner. Skinner intended to let him feel that way as long as he needed. What was important was that Krycek did not feed Fox's fantasy of defiance. "You don't have a say in it anymore." 

Mulder frowned darkly and followed the big man back to the cabin. They walked slowly, and in silence. Every once in a while Skinner would reach out a big hand and caress some part of Mulder, his face, his ass, his chest. Mulder told himself he was just tolerating the hot little touches, but his body responded to them. His cock twitched in pleasure. He wanted to stop and lie down on the fragrant needles and be taken, hard and fast. He wondered what was happening to him. He was becoming such a sexual deviant. He wanted to be filled, to fill, to smell the scent of arousal... 

Skinner heard the small sounds of Mulder's arousal and he smiled. He would let Mulder fight the hook until he tired. Then it would be a simple matter of reeling him in. 

They entered the cabin to find Maggie and Dana Scully helping Alex in the kitchen while Antonio looked through the small collection of books in the bookcase. 

"What domesticity," Skinner said dryly. 

Antonio shrugged. Dana was still angry with him and so he was trying to remain as quiet as possible. While it was true he could force her to talk to him, like he would do with Alex or Fox if they were his, he wanted her to come to him as willingly as she had done previously. He glared as she went to Fox and checked him out solicitously, fussing over him like a mother hen. Fox stood the treatment like one well used to such tactics. 

"Mulder, are you all right?" Dana looked into Mulder's tired eyes and cleared her throat. "You need to eat something. Alex is fixing soup." 

Fox's eyes lit up. "Tomato soup?" 

"Not Campbell's I'm afraid, baby. I am actually _making_ soup," Alex said in an amused voice. He turned to Maggie. "Fox's idea of a feast is to warm up a can of tomato soup for the both of us. A true gourmet." 

Fox smiled and went to embrace Alex from behind. He whispered something in Alex's ear and Alex laughed huskily. 

"Now that is a feast, baby," Alex purred as he diced several potatoes. 

Maggie, who had caught some of what Fox whispered, blushed. All this homosexual pairing was surprising to her. She had always hoped that her daughter and her partner would marry. However, the nights past had held many more surprises than this. She handed her plate of chopped onions to Krycek to be added to the bubbling pot of chicken in broth. 

* * *

**Jessup, Missouri  
North of St. Louis   
Day Two   
Hour 0800**

Garren kneeled on the ground gathering his breath. He was thirty yards from the high bridge he had just crossed and he calmed himself. The waters rushed far below, but they were powerful, cleansing waters. He shuddered at their strength. Somewhere west Alex was being claimed by another. With that infuriating thought in mind he gathered himself once more and continued the hunt. Night was coming and he was tiring. He had come nearly two hundred miles since the little town, Grant. He would have to stop soon. His body too was aching for some relief of a sexual nature. Though he was in love with his mate, a wolf needed sex, often. He wondered if, when he brought another male to he and his mate's bed, would he let the new male touch Alex. The thought angered him and he figured his mate would just have to watch. The idea of monogamy was for the weaker mate. And even that monogamy could be broken if it pleased the stronger of the two. He caught the scent of humans and ran toward them. There was a young male among them, and males had always been his preference. He was feeling kind and would let the male live after the fucking. He grinned and when he was upon the small group he simply ran into their midst and took the young man and raced off into the night with him, amid the human screams of warnings. 

Werewolf they had called him, as they scrambled. He chuckled past razor sharp fangs and carried his struggling toy for a mile before he stopped. He would take the man changed, take him as the wolf. He bit the young skin, the man barely past his twenty-third human year by the look of him. He watched as the spore took hold and the toy began to beg for sex. Garren lay himself down, dwarfing the trembling male. His legs pushed between the long legs of his captive. 

He left the man an hour later and headed west for another, the sex reviving him a bit. He gave not a thought of how the male would rejoin his pathetic gang of humans. He had been extremely generous in leaving the man alive. Even kinder not to feed on his companions. He hadn't eaten flesh since the young human toy in Kentucky. He grinned as he changed to human form and stopped running. He had given the male the greatest of pleasure, that too was a kindness. Having a mate to love, was really making him a humanitarian. 

* * *

**Murdoch Family Estate  
Sirius   
Annapolis, Maryland   
Day Two   
Hour 1000**

The bloody remains of the former officer of the law were removed from Murdoch's chamber. Michael sat shivering. He had become unresponsive an hour ago and Murdoch chuckled, imagining how his prince would react to his games. "Take my pet to his room," Murdoch said to the guard who stood waiting. 

As the pet was taken away, Murdoch went to clean the blood and bits of flesh off his body. In the shower his thoughts turned to Foxling. He stroked his large organ to its full size and imagined those sweet lips wrapped around the large head. He stepped out of the shower, his erect cock swaying with his movements. He pulled on a silk dressing robe and made his way to the pens, where the changed humans were kept. He watched them for awhile. The cages were filled with luxury, it wouldn't due to mistreat such valuable flesh. Lush cushions of down and silk covered every space that wasn't dedicated to the sanitary needs of the little sweetlings. Bowls of exotic fruit sat next to crystal jugs of water and wine on ebony tables. He stared at one woman. Her beauty was intoxicating. She was of Asian descent and he forced her to come to him. She, like all the changed beauties, was naked save for the black leather collar fastened on her neck. Similar collars adorned all the prized humans. Her small breasts were like little ripe fruits. Her long blue-black hair was like the most delicate silk, falling in shimmering waves to her waist. He wrapped his hand in it. Her scent, her red lips and her dark eyes made him smile. "You will make a fine gift for my brother in Germany." 

She raised her chin, proudly and said nothing. Her eyes defied him. What a treasure. He looked at all the changed humans. Already he had set some of them to breeding. He imagined a nursery filled with little changed babies. All of which he would keep until they were old enough to breed, then they would be gifted to others or kept for his own pleasure. Foxling would be pleased to know that Murdoch did not condone sex with children. He was a patron saint to children, that was what he was, he decided. 

With a small gesture he indicated that she was to be taken away. She would be sent to Germany to his ally there. Already the man had ten such humans, but another, given as a gift, would solidify their pact. The man, Gregory, was one of the strongest of his allies. Not nearly as strong as Skinner, but powerful enough to control all of Europe given time. 

He picked a dark male for his night of pleasure. He didn't look like Fox, but he did resemble the pretty little cat who had so entranced Garren and Fox. As his thoughts turned to Garren he frowned. He would have to make amends with the powerful pack leader. The pack was an invaluable asset. Irreplaceable really. And while they would do as he commanded while Garren cleaved to him, they were only loyal to the pack and especially to their Garren. He would woo Garren back and then, with Foxling at his side, he could attend to the business of running the world. He clasped a leather leash onto the collar and led the male back to his suite of rooms. 

* * *

**Fort Bragg, California  
Day Two   
Hour 0830**

The sun lost its grasp of the western sky and the deep purple of twilight faded to black. The moon illuminated the white of cresting into something silver and restless. A fickle wind dallied in the branches of the sentinel trees, with sighing sounds while nature's predators roused themselves for the nightly hunt. Rocks far from shore, black in the moonlight rose with jagged defiance from the cold water as several small creatures emerged from the water and took residence on the slippery surface. Red eyes set in gray, soft faces stared toward the light of the cabins on the distant shore. Lipless mouths revealed shards of teeth as the waves crashed around them. Hunger filled their bellies as they dove back into the water to hunt, their webbed hands and feet making them faster than much of their prey. 

Far above the cabins he sat, waiting. It grew ever more difficult to resist the command to leave this place. The not-human male was so powerful that all his brothers and sisters had already fled. Only the oldest of his kind would dare stay now. There were wolves to the north, hunting, but they were reckless creatures who cared nothing for eternity, they would roam close, but not too close unless commanded to do so, and then nothing would stop them. He took to the air only to settle on the loose soil of the earth. He changed appearance then and sighed as he admired his graceful hand. Such a lovely boy he was. And so talented at pleasure. The female who had fed him with her rich blood lay dying not ten miles from the cabins. Her pretty lips still curved in pleasure. She would never wake alive again once her eyes closed, but perhaps she would become like him. He had left her in an area she could easily dig a burrow in against the hateful sun, had she the strength to do so when the dawn first threaten to defile the night. If so then she would open her eyes as a hunter, if not then she would burn and become nothing but gray ash, easily taken by the slightest breeze. 

Even he was not quite brave enough to come close to the cabins, but he got close enough to smell the sweet perfume of the interesting humans, who were not exactly human anymore. They smelled different, they smelled intoxicating, more intoxicating than blood even, and he chuckled at that. They didn't smell like the two non-human males. Those two were not prey or toys. They were something altogether different. He heard the chattering of them all as they gathered in one cabin. In all there was only one completely normal smelling human, an older woman. There were two humans that smelled so sweet he gnashed his teeth with the desire to take them, and four others who, while not smelling as sweet, were in their own right, delicious. He could picture the two males that haunted him. One that the Garren of the wolves had claimed, and the other. Fox and Alex were their names. His tongue wet his full lips and he sighed once more. He hadn't survived so long by hasty action, and it was with this thought that he let his feet take him away from the cabins and deeper into the forest. When he had walked among the lovely shadows long enough to enjoy the quiet he took to flight, heading south to the banquets awaiting him in the larger cities, cities that had yet to be affected by the commands of the biggest of the non-humans. It was like a force spreading out, forcing his kind and the other hunters to flee. He rose up high and was grateful for his ancient blood. It would protect him when he finally made his move to steal one of his pretty males. He had only to decide which one to take. 

* * *

Maggie yawned and after kissing Dana's cheek she made her way to her cabin. 

Langly stood too and with a yawn the other gunmen, tired from the long day in the town, followed him out the door. They had pulled a large trailer into the clearing by the cabins and set up shop there. Maggie was delighted to have her own cabin. 

Dana had forgiven Antonio and the two were quick to make their exit. Antonio gave one last, longing look at the two beauties who Skinner had greedily claimed, and led Dana to their cabin. 

Alex stood, starting to clean up the clutter. Fox stood to help him but Skinner took his hand and led it to his mouth for a soft kiss. Outside of a small tightening of his lips, Alex ignored the suggestive gesture. Skinner stood and placed a hot kiss on Mulder's lips. "I want to take you to bed, Fox. Alex can join us later." 

Mulder started to protest, but with a small push Skinner made Fox turn and walk to the room. Alex was clenching his jaw, and Skinner soothed him with a little mental promise of pleasure to come. He followed Mulder into the bedroom and pulled his lithe body to his heavily muscled one. 

"Mulder. I love touching you, feeling you next to me. I've wanted to hold you for years." 

Their eyes met and Mulder opened his mouth to say something, but he kissed Skinner instead. It was a brief kiss. He pulled back slightly and Skinner pulled off Mulder's shirt. He ran his fingers along Mulder's ribs, smiling passionately when Mulder shivered. He knelt and began to unbutton the loose Levi's. He growled as the parting fabric revealed Mulder's lack of underwear. He pulled the jeans down until Fox's thick cock was released. Skinner licked his lips as he stared at the pretty cock. The head was a smooth invitation, and he didn't bother with the words of praise that he thought, he simply sucked the head into his mouth, relishing Fox's moan of pleasure as much as the taste of the salty flesh. He sucked hard as the flesh grew to a complete erection. 

Mulder rocked into Walter's hot mouth, moaning as the velvet tongue swirled around the tip of his cock. He closed his eyes and put one hand on Walter's head. His cock slid in and out of the sucking wetness and he felt himself getting close to orgasm rapidly. Walter abruptly pulled away and stood. Mulder groaned his frustration until Walter turned him to face the wall. He pulled the jeans off Mulder's body and tossed them to a corner of the room, where they lay in a forgotten pile. Mulder spread his legs as a wet finger played at his anus. Without much preparation Walter's cock nudged at him and the sharp pain of penetration made him gasp. The thick slide of it, the hard pressure of it as his body was opened was intensely erotic. He spread his hands open on the wall and licked his lips as Walter worked himself in and out, going deeper with every thrust. When he was fully seated inside Mulder's body, Walter began to kiss Mulder's neck. 

"You're so beautiful, Fox, so tight and hot. You were made for this. You were made to be mine," Walter husked at Mulder's ear. "Can you feel it? Can you feel how much I need you?" 

Mulder had one second to think how ludicrous that question was, before Walter pulled out and slammed back in with a force that made Fox yelp. 

"Can you?" 

"Yes," Mulder gasped. 

Another retreat and advance, and another. Mulder felt his feet pulled off the floor and spread against the wall, held by some force other than Walter's hands which were finding work at toying with Mulder's nipples and aching cock. Mulder felt a moment's fear that he was pinned to the wall, unable to move, before the erotic nature of his submission overwhelmed him. His legs spread further and he whimpered as the fucking continued. He arched his head back and Skinner claimed his lips with his own. Their tongues mated wildly, and Walter pinched the tip of Fox's cock making Fox scream into Walter's mouth. He never wanted this to end. He wanted to be filled and taken. 

"Wal-ter... oh God!" He wanted to move, he wanted to buck his hips back into the hard thrusts, but he was pinned. "Pl-ease... oh Wal... please." 

Walter felt the inevitable orgasm building. Having Fox so helpless and yet so fully willing was the most erotic moment of his life. He was using no control over Mulder's mind, and the charge of that made him come so hard into the tight sheath that he screamed. He slammed several times into the immobile body before falling into Mulder, shaking and spent. 

Mulder groaned. He was so close and Walter had stopped. "Don't stop... please. S-so close, please." 

Walter let Mulder down and led him to the bed. Mulder moaned and looked at his own wet, throbbing cock. 

"Save it for Alex, Fox. I want to see you take him." 

Fox's cock jumped wildly at that thought. His beautiful Alex spread beneath him. 

As if summoned, Alex entered the room. His reluctance evaporating as he looked at his lover gasping and hard on the bed. 

"Take off your clothes, Alex," Walter growled. 

Alex needed no pushing and he did just that. 

The two men on the bed gasped in unison as Alex revealed his perfectly muscled body. His nipples were erect peaks on his defined pectorals, and Walter wanted to feed on them, to bite them and make those pink lips part with gasps of pleasure. 

Alex strode to the bed, his erection swaying intoxicatingly. He slid over Fox, intending to part his legs and take Fox as quickly as he could. 

"I want to be inside you, Alex," Fox purred before he claimed his lover's mouth. 

Alex grinned into the kiss. "Do you, baby?" 

"Oh, yeah, I do," Fox sighed as his hands explored the silken skin of Alex's muscled back. 

"How do you want me, baby?" Alex asked as he nibbled on Fox's lips. 

Fox moved quickly and flipped Alex over onto his back. "Like this. I want to see your face when you come." 

"Make him wet, Fox. Wet him with your tongue," Walter managed to say through his lust. These two men were almost too beautiful. Their love and passion made him feel like a welcome voyeur. It was as if everything around the two melted away until there was just Fox and Alex. This didn't bother Walter, it only served to excite him further. No one save himself would be welcome here, and he only due to his power. There was an illicit thrill in that, and he had to admit he was grateful for what had happened that he could be here right now. He watched as the two men stilled and became lost in one another's gaze. Fox rained small kisses on Alex's face, the tender love implicit in each touch made Walter's cock swell once more. 

Fox made his way slowly down Alex's chest, kissing every sharp valley made by the well-defined muscles. He bit one nipple and then the other, hard enough to make Alex cry out and bump his hips in response. He lapped at Alex's belly button and sucked hard on the sensitive flesh, his tongue plunging in and out in a promise of what he would soon be doing to Alex's ass. Alex spread his legs as Fox moved lower, slowly, too slowly. 

"Baby, please." 

Fox grinned as his lover writhed, trying to bring his cock up to Fox's languid mouth. He bit Alex's hipbone and dragged his tongue over the shivering flesh to the opposite hip and nibbled there. Alex was tossing his head and his eyes were narrowed with lust. Fox pulled back to look at Alex's hard cock. He kissed the tip and Alex clenched his teeth over a pleading groan. Fox took the plump head in his mouth and lapped up the pre-cum that drooled out with every pulse of Alex's body. Fox pushed Alex's legs up and licked at Alex's tight balls. He nipped gently on the skin and Alex's hips bounced enticingly. He trailed his tongue down the sweet crevice and sucked hard at the spot between anus and balls. Alex screamed in pleasure as his prostate was massaged from the outside. Fox's lips and tongue found Alex's anus and he fed there with moist adoration. He tried to get his tongue inside, but Alex was too tight, so he lapped at the flesh until the sphincter began to relax. He was able to shove his tongue in finally and he shoved it in and out while Alex squirmed on it. He joined his tongue with a finger and slowly entered his lover with first one finger and then two. He moved his mouth back to the smooth skin of the perineum as his fingers plunged in and out. When Alex was loose and slippery from the moist play, Fox moved up and shared Alex's taste with his lover as their tongues slid together, slowly and with promising passion. 

Alex felt the first attempt at penetration and he hissed. Fox kissed Alex's forehead. "Relax, baby, let me in." 

Alex gasped as the head slipped into his tight sheath and he pushed his hips up to hasten the penetration, groaning as Fox slid home. 

'Fuck me," Alex moaned. "Hard." 

Fox sat back on his knees and pushed Alex's legs up tight against his muscled chest. He began the age-old rhythm and the two were lost in it. 

Alex began to pull on his own cock while the incredible sensations filled him. He stared up at Fox, whose head was thrown back, the tendons of his neck straining with the effort not to come before Alex. When Fox bit his lip and groaned, Alex felt his balls tighten. 

Fox was going crazy with the effort not to come. "Get fucked, baby, get fucked," he begged. 

At the urging to come for his lover Alex screamed as it hit him and his internal muscles clamped down hard on Fox's intruding member. Fox came with a near-silent scream and he fell atop Alex's shuddering body. He thrust erratically as the orgasm washed through him and into Alex. 

When the tremors had passed, Fox lay dazed atop the warm body beneath him. 

"Oh fuck, Fox," he said shakily. 

"I think I just did," Fox whispered. 

Alex chuckled and hugged him tight. "God I love you, baby." 

Fox lifted his face from the warmth of Alex's chest and his eyes misted, "Not nearly as much as I love you, Alex. You are the only thing that matters to me. I love you so much." 

Alex groaned at that and pulled Fox's face to his and the two kissed with heartfelt passion that made Skinner smile gently. 

One day. One day they would say the same to him, he thought. Until that time he would enjoy their love for one another and their _need_ for him. Considering his own throbbing erection, he debated whether to have them both pleasure him with their pretty, slutty mouths. Instead he let them fall asleep in each others arms, the power of their love for one another and his love of them, winning over his own power to own them. He curled up beside them, smiling as Fox sleepily patted his massive arm. One day, he vowed, before he too succumbed to sleep, his erection still demanding attention. 

* * *

****

Outstanding Skinner AU   
Honorable mention   


09/15/99   
RATING: Very NC-17   
SPOILERS: Probably, but do you care?   
SUMMARY: Alternate Universe After the events of The Changing, the world is ruled by magic and Mulder has to learn to find a role for himself in the new paradigm.   
WARNING: Sexual Assault, Angst, explicit sex ( **consensual and non-consensual** ) between hot men, magic, and B&D. If that isn't your thing or you are below the age of consent. DO NOT READ!!!!!!!!!! My Krycek has two arms and he's going to keep them thank you.   
DISCLAIMER: They aren't mine. They belong to CC and 1013 Productions. I don't make any money...wouldn't take it if I could, just borrowing, you can have them back.   
FEEDBACK: Please and thank you. [email removed]   
Website if applicable: [ http://www.slashingmulder.com/Author_N.htm](http://www.slashingmulder.com/Author_N.htm)   
DEDICATED TO: Megaera for reminding me that the supernatural exists beyond the written word, (but mostly near her home) Thanks to JoB, Cerulean and Michael for their beta and _delicious_ ideas...keep 'em coming love.   
---


	3. Out of the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Universe After the events of The Changing, the world is ruled by magic and Mulder has to learn to find a role for himself in the new paradigm.

  
**Chapter Three  
Out of the Dark**

_"Come to me, cover me, hold me  
together we'll break these chains of love  
don't give up, don't give up  
together with me and my baby  
break the chains of love"  
"Chains of Love," Erasure_

**Fort Bragg, California  
Day Three  
Hour 0630**

Morning light filled the bedroom and Alex blinked slowly, for a brief moment he wondered where he was. He was held down on his back and his first impulse was to throw off his captor and kill him, but he smiled instead. Fox. In what was apparently Fox's favorite sleeping position, sprawled on top of Alex. Fox's right leg was laid over Alex's thighs and his chest half covered Alex's, while one arm was curled around Alex's head, fingers entwined in the black hair. Alex felt the warm breath on his neck and Fox's lips parted on his flesh. Alex didn't care what was going on outside this room; he only cared that Fox was with him. He ran a loving hand slowly down Fox's spine. He felt Fox's smile before he realized Fox was waking. 

"Where do you think that hand is going, Krycek?" Fox growled with feigned threat, as his face snuggled closer to Alex's chest. 

"Nowhere!" Alex swore. "I was just trying to get you off me. You're like a leech, or a boa constrictor. Yeah a boa, all sprawled on me. You know I _do_ have standards." 

Fox chuckled. "I see. That's too bad, here I was hoping you were going to reenact that wonderful morning where you... did something with your fingers," Fox finished clumsily. 

Alex grinned, "What? What are you talking about, baby?" He knew very well what, but he wanted his lover to have to say it. 

Fox moved his hips and kissed Alex's throat. "That thing." 

"What thing?" 

"Alex!" 

"What thing?" 

"That thing you did to me with your fingers." 

"I got that part, but what exactly did I allegedly do with my fingers, Agent Mulder?" 

"Oh forget it. I'm sorry, I was confused. That wasn't you at all," Fox sighed. "Now I remember." 

Alex twisted and pinned Fox beneath him, his green eyes boring into the laughing hazel of his mischievous lover. "Oh? So someone else did 'that thing' with their fingers?" 

Fox just chuckled. 

Alex parted Fox's legs with his own and moved his hips suggestively. "Do you think I should be jealous?" 

"Oh yeah, you should. That thing... those fingers... they made me feel so good," Fox said throatily. 

Alex groaned and crushed Fox's full lips in a possessive kiss. Fox's mouth opened and his tongue slid greedily into Alex's mouth. They kissed passionately for several minutes before Alex pulled his head up. "What thing?" 

Fox laughed, "Just drop it, Alex." 

Alex rubbed Fox's cock with his own and Fox licked his lips in reaction, the tongue sliding on his full lips, making Alex groan. 

"Tell me, and I'll give you something nice, don't tell me and I won't. What thing?" 

"Bully!" Fox protested. 

"You want this?" Alex asked as his body moved sinuously against Fox. 

Fox closed his eyes and licked his lips again, "Don't tease me..." 

"Just tell me. You need to loosen up. I like hearing you tell me what you like." 

"You, your fingers inside me, fucking me. God Alex, stop moving or fuck me now," Fox groaned. 

Alex stopped moving and grinned down at his responsive lover. "Oh! That thing. Finger fucking." 

Fox flushed. "Yeah, finger-fucking. I liked it." 

"You like fucking period, baby," Alex teased as he bent to capture Fox's tempting mouth. "Don't you?" 

Fox spread his legs further apart, rubbing his cock against Alex's. "Don't you, Alex?" 

"Oh yeah." 

"Then show me. Show me, Alex," Fox begged. 

Alex sat back and ran his hands down Fox's chest. He lightly pinched first one nipple and then the next. "You're so beautiful, baby. So fucking beautiful, especially like this. So ready, so hot." He leaned in and kissed Fox. His lips barely touching Fox's he breathed in and out, wanting to be part of Fox. Fox flicked out his tongue and Alex groaned, moving in to devour the hot, slick mouth. 

Fox was torn. He wanted Alex in his mouth. He wanted to be inside Alex. He wanted Alex inside him. 

Alex ended the kiss and reached for the tube of lubricant, still uncapped and laying on the nightstand, where Fox had left it the night before. He squeezed it into his hands and slicked his hard cock with it. He closed his eyes as the pleasure of his slippery fingers on his sensitive head elicited a gasp from his lips. 

Fox watched his lover enjoy his own body and he bit his lower lip to keep from begging. Alex's cock was so beautiful, so hard. Jade eyes caught his own and they communicated their need for one another silently. 

Alex warmed some lubricant in his hands before he applied it to his lover's opening. He slid a gentle finger inside Fox's tight heat and Fox gasped. He worked slowly to prepare the small sheath, in no hurry, wanting this moment to last forever. He would give everything to have this moment with Fox frozen in time. Outside the world was insane. Here, here he was home, home wherever Fox was. The soft moans of passion his fingers wrought encouraged Alex to continue with his play. He slid his fingers deeper and stroked the sensitive gland, watching as Fox came undone. He moved his fingers in and out, turning them, opening them, over and over until Fox's hips were rising and falling, his arms spread out on the sheets in glorious surrender. 

Alex leaned down and licked at the swollen cock, closing his eyes as Fox made a strangled noise. He lapped at the clear fluid seeping from the small slit. Fox's hips moved restlessly and his eyes were mere slits of hazel through dark lashes. Alex kept his fingers moving in and out and his free hand grasped Fox's begging cock and he laved his tongue round and round the tip until Fox's body was jerking from one pleasure to another. Alex pulled off long enough to stare entranced at the plump cock. Fox was moaning at the lack of sensation on his cock. Alex groaned. Fox was so beautiful, so very beautiful. 

"Please. Please, Alex," Fox groaned. "Oh... oh ple... please." He rode the fingers with sharp movements of his hip. "Please fuck me." 

Alex watched for one sweet moment Fox toss his hips and with a groan he took Fox's organ back in his mouth and sucked hard. Fox was shuddering, his head tossing hopelessly on the pillow, incoherent pleas tumbling from his lips. Alex joined more fingers in the play and Fox beat his hips wildly, desperately. When Alex felt that Fox was about to orgasm he pulled off the swollen cock and withdrew his fingers. He didn't bother giving Fox any directions, as he was too lost in passion to comprehend anything Alex said. He rolled Fox onto his stomach and placed a pillow under his hips, elevating his hips and exposing his swollen cock and balls to Alex's avid gaze. Alex rubbed lubricant up and down Fox's back just to see the slick trail on the smooth back. He spread Fox's legs wide and bent to lick the tight balls and the sensitive flesh between them and the small anus. He watched Fox's profile. The blinking eyes, the tongue wetting gasping lips made Alex lose his control. Almost roughly he moved into position and slid the head of his cock into that impossibly small hole. He closed his eyes for a moment, before watching Fox's face as he was entered and fucked. There was such a look of surprise and mindless lust on that pretty face, as if he had never been fucked before. It drove Alex crazy and he wanted to shove in harder. He angled his hips to hit Fox just right and he was rewarded as Fox lost any inhibitions and began to vocalize everything he wanted Alex to do to him. 

* * *

Antonio knocked on the door and Skinner called out for him to enter. The smell of arousal filled the cabin with sweet, seductive calling and Antonio grew hard immediately. Alex and Fox were playing again, and Skinner stood in the kitchen making coffee and getting breakfast together. What exactly was wrong with his brother? Were those two his, he would be in there with them. His aching erection demanded it. They broad-casted their readiness like bitches in heat and he could hear the whimpers of passion coming from the sweet Fox as Alex toyed with him. 

Skinner turned and sighed. "Good morning, Antonio. I trust you spent a pleasant night." 

Antonio walked to the little kitchen table and sat down, his legs splayed wide to make his erection obvious. "How do you do it, brother? How do you stand here while those two pleasure one another? They are yours are they not?" 

Skinner poured a cup of coffee for Antonio and sat across from him, his eyes narrowed and threatening. "Yes. They are mine. Not yours." 

"If they were mine..." 

"But they aren't. They never will be." Skinner ignored the man's obvious hard-on. The appeal of Alex and Fox was compelling even when they weren't aroused, but when they were it was like the call of the sirens, almost impossible to resist. "I will do as I think best for them, Antonio." 

"By letting them fuck like rabbits? I know they are sexual animals, but that should be for your benefit. You should be in there using them like they were meant to be used. Why do you think they were changed? Why any of the humans were? To reward us, dammit!" 

The pleading began in earnest, as Alex teased Fox. As Fox begged to be fucked, both Ascendants grew rigid with lust. 

"He begs to be filled and you sit here?" Antonio hissed in a strained voice. 

Skinner slammed his cup down and stood. "Enough, Antonio! Your attitude makes it obvious that Alex and Fox are better off with me. If you can't see that they love each other..." 

"Their love means nothing! They are concubines! You can't hold them while they cleave only unto each other. You'll never have Fox's love while he has Alex to cling to. Give Alex to me! I will take him far from Fox..." 

Skinner lifted the smaller man from his chair with one fist in Antonio's shirtfront. "That is what this is about isn't it? You lust to own Alex. You don't care about my position with them, you seek only to take what is mine!" 

Antonio shoved the hands off him with a small mental shove and he stood glaring. "Get used to it, Skinner. You cannot own such flesh and think not to be challenged. Surely you can sense that they are rare even among their kind. If you would just share some of the wealth... let another taste the nectar..." 

Skinner had to calm himself with a great effort. It wouldn't do for Fox and Alex to see he and Antonio fighting over them. "There is nothing to discuss on this anymore. I will not share. I _will_ not! I am completely capable of holding what is mine. You would do well to heed me. Because I will say this only once. I will kill anyone... . _anyone_ who tries to take what is mine! Because I choose to let them love one another is my business alone. If I can make this easier on them, I will. And if this is your attitude... that they, the changed ones, are but animals to pleasure us, then I will have to seriously consider my initial decision on letting Dana go with you." 

Antonio flushed with rage. He dared? "You have no say in that. Dana is mine! She goes with me willingly." 

Skinner stared hard at the man. His voice was stolen as the sound of lovemaking in the bedroom was accompanied by the steady rocking of the bed. He could picture the scene and despite his words he wanted to stride into the bedroom and take what was his. They were so beautiful, the smell of them, the want in their cries, their sweat-slicked bodies so perfect. Fox would be tossing his head as he was penetrated, his eyes would be shadowed pools of moss. Those lips would be parted over incoherent words. And Alex. His dark assassin would be lost in lust, but aware of every shade of Fox's reaction. He would be watching Fox with an intensity that burned. Those pink lips, so sweet, would be kissing Fox's face as he thrust in fierce rhythm. His body was on fire; he wanted to take them, to devour them. They smelled so good, so hot. They were his, his alone to take to that gasping precipice. He growled with the need to plunder that sweet flesh. Fox screamed and Skinner shook. Fox begged for more and Skinner paled with the effort not to claim those cries for his own, to make Alex's voice cry out in the same way. It was Antonio's moan that dragged him back to the kitchen. Antonio was not there. Oh he was still standing beside Skinner in the kitchen, but his eyes were vacant, his body shaking. Skinner growled in rage as he realized that Antonio was projecting himself to watch the two beauties mate. He shook Antonio and when those black eyes flared red in response to the intrusion, Skinner pushed him toward the door. "I think it is time you went south, brother. You tread too close to your own mortality." 

Antonio shook himself to divert his attention from the allure of the two lovers and he composed himself with an effort that cost him much. Without another word he strode toward the sea, to calm the desire that raged along his every nerve. Skinner could not hold those two for long. He was too wrapped up in doing what he thought right. Only one who knew his position in this new world could keep the two beauties from the rest of the world. As much as he would love to own them both, Fox would disrupt Dana, and he couldn't bear to discipline Fox the way he would need to be disciplined. He could force the beauty to his bed, could deny him the pleasure of Alex, but actually to discipline him the way he would have to be disciplined was not in his nature... old or new. 

Skinner watched Antonio walk away, and part of him walked with him. He knew exactly how Antonio felt about the two men in the bedroom. His blood surged with the fire of his need to own, to possess. He watched as his brother took the path toward the rockiest part of the beach, and stood rigid as the cries of ecstasy grew frenzied and then silenced. He shook and clenched his fists. Alex's soft voice soothed his lover and with resolve he turned back inside and shakily resumed preparing breakfast. He wondered why he just didn't claim them now, they were his, every sleek muscled inch. He only wished that he could know if this was the right path. Was Antonio right? Would his allowing the two to cling to one another only serve to make his conquest of their hearts more difficult? He would not deny himself their bodies always. 

* * *

The shower relaxed Alex and he smiled at his sated lover. Mulder was thinking again, the look on his face was a testimony to that. His teeth were worrying his lower lip and his hazel eyes were a bit unfocussed. Alex decided to leave him to it. Besides Fox looked adorable. Who was he to interrupt him? He picked up the pale pink soap and gave it a considering look. Pink was a girl color, but the fragrance seemed okay. He began to suds up the soap and ran his hands over his chest. He had to grin as Fox, still lost in thought kissed Alex between his shoulder blades. He rested his head on Alex's shoulder as Alex cleaned himself. 

Mulder was plotting. He wasn't going to share Alex and that was that. Skinner, he knew, really wanted him... not so much Alex. If he could keep Skinner exhausted, keep him sexually sated then he wouldn't have time to touch Alex. It seemed to be the best plan at his disposal. He kissed Alex's neck and thrilled to the wet slickness of Alex's flesh. Skinner would be satisfied and Alex... well Alex would just have to deal with it. He realized he was ignoring Alex's possible reaction to his little plan, but surely Alex would rather not be used as a sex toy. It was true that Alex might not like Fox throwing himself at Skinner... actually he would probably be pissed, but that was the way it would be. 

"Fox! This soap is great. It's so sudsy!" Alex proclaimed in delight. He was covered in copious bubbles and like a child he stayed out of the water just enough to work up a slick covering of soap. "It smells great too," he added. 

Fox smiled. Alex was staring at him with eyes alight with pleasure, a soft smile on his pretty lips. "Smells like Caress," he said with deceptive disinterest. 

Alex frowned and looked at the soap. "Caress?" 

"Yeah, you know, 'Caress before you dress.' That commercial with the woman in the shower doing what you're doing right now." A note of indulgent humor had slid into Mulder's voice. 

"Caress? Isn't that a girly soap?" Alex had the look of a man who smelled a rat. 

"Yep. It is a definite girly soap," Fox chuckled and bent to smell his horrified lover. "And you do smell enchanting." 

Alex set the soap aside and rinsed with disgust. "Now everyone is going to think I liked the soap because of its girly scent," he said in a near-petulant voice. That tone in his voice surprised him as did caring what anyone in the rag-tag group thought. He frowned again. He was getting softer by the minute. "Why don't you just hand me some baby powder when I get out," he said through gritted teeth. 

Mulder chuckled darkly and took up the soap. "I like Caress. Now don't look at me like that, Alex! I like how sudsy it is... how smooth it makes your skin." He worked the bar of soap over his own chest, letting his right hand slide down to his cock to wash there. He hid a grin as Alex pretended indifference while peering at him from beneath wet, black lashes. Mulder brought the soap to his nose and smelled it. "I don't think it smells too sweet, but the test is how it smells on flesh. Why don't I rinse it off and you can test it for me?" He slid past Alex and rinsed the soap from his chest and groin. He turned back to Alex and said, "Do I smell good?" 

Alex pulled Mulder to him and crushed his mouth with a groan. "You sure taste good, baby," he husked into Mulder's eager mouth. 

"But do I smell like a man?" Mulder insisted. 

"Mmm-hmm," Alex moaned "Baby, we better stop. Skinner won't be patient all day. I'd just as soon have you dressed when we see him again," Krycek murmured. He wasn't going back on his vow to Skinner to try and accept things, but he was simply following his own protective, possessive instincts. Mulder looked too beautiful, all wet and aroused. 

Mulder frowned at that. It was true. Why was Skinner allowing them so much time together? He sensed the man was in the cabin. Alex looked too tempting all wet and aroused. He pouted. "I was going to seduce you, get on my knees and..." 

Alex stiffened immediately, and he groaned as Mulder fisted Alex's suddenly hard cock. 

"And suck _this_ for as long as you could stand it," Mulder finished huskily. 

"Well, Skinner's left us alone this long. I don't see why he'd interrupt now," Alex encouraged, abrutply changing tactics, completely caught in the intricate snare of his lover's desire. 

Fox grinned. "I agree. I think we have time." 

"Yes, yes we have time... oh, baby," Alex moaned as Fox slid to his knees. He watched avidly as Fox fisted both their cocks. "That feels so good, baby." 

Fox was entranced by Alex's hardness. It was so beautifully formed, long and thick and ripe. He licked at the sensitive head and groaned with Alex in pleasure. "You taste so good," he gasped. 

"It's the Caress," Alex managed. 

"Mmmm, I think you should wash with it more often. Tastes salty and sweet." Fox licked again and then sucked the tip hard, his tongue swirling about feverishly. 

"You like the taste?" Alex gasped as he entwined his fingers in Fox's hair. 

Fox just pulled more of the long shaft into his mouth in reply, his eyes raised to meet the slitted jade eyes above him. He watched Alex's face as sucked and licked, every motion designed to give the greatest pleasure. He caressed Alex's thighs, trying to squeeze the flesh, but the muscles were too hard. He moved his hand up to cradled the tight balls and he abandoned the cock to mouth that tender flesh. 

"Shit, Fox." 

When Alex spread his legs to allow Fox more room to play Fox moved from the balls to the expanse of flesh just behind them. Alex trembled and Fox resumed his toying with Alex's cock. He slid a finger back to the tight opening and gently sought entrance as he sucked and licked. He slid a slow fist up and down his own shaft all the while still watching Alex's face. 

"God, you're so good, baby," Alex swore. The sight of Fox, on his knees with a cock, _his_ cock sliding in and out of his mouth made Alex shudder. That Fox was jerking his own cock at the same time made Alex want to come right then, but he held off. He wanted this to last as long as possible. He tossed his head to deny the onrushing pleasure as Fox's finger found and massaged his prostate. "Mmm. Mmm, baby, Fox, stop... please... oh god, I wanna... oh, baby, stop. Uhh. Fox!" 

Fox wanted to make Alex scream. He worked to the beat of Alex's panting moans and pleas, unrelenting and voracious. Long moments of the sounds of pleasure under the heavy splash of water. Gasping sucking sounds of tension and lust. Steam clouding the room as Alex's fingers tightened ruthlessly in Fox's hair, exciting them both. Fox could see that Alex was fighting orgasm, wanting to last, but he joined the first finger with another and together the two digits attacked Alex's prostate, pumping in and out. He abandoned his own cock in order to slide his fist up and down his lover's shaft as he focussed his lips and tongue on the apricot head. Alex was begging him to stop, but Fox ignored him. 

Alex felt like he was on fire. He pumped back against the fingers inside him and rocked forward to feel the hot clasp of Fox's mouth and the pull of his long fingers. He tried not to. He fought not to, but he screamed as he came. Fox sucked and swallowed for a few minutes then he drew back and rested his cheek on Alex's twitching cock. A river of cum slid down his face and Alex watched shakily as the shower took the hot semen and washed it off his lover's pretty face. He groaned when Fox returned his attention to his own cock and shouted out his orgasm a few seconds later. Alex pulled Fox up and claimed him in a fierce kiss. He could taste himself in Fox's hot mouth and they slid their tongues together lazily. He cradled Fox carefully until Fox was able to stand on his own. 

He led a still somewhat dazed Fox from the shower and chuckled. "I'm the one who got the incredible blow-job, baby, and you are the one who can barely stand." 

Fox smiled, "Well, one day, Alex... one day I'll perfect it and you won't be able to stand." 

Alex grinned. "Don't you dare do it better than that. I'd like to live a little bit longer." 

Fox shook his head, smiling. "I can't remember my name when we're together like that, but I bet you can." His words implied much more than Alex being able to remember his name. It implied that though Alex was immersed in the moment, he had spent too long with the Consortium, too much time having to be clever and ruthless to survive, to ever be completely relaxed and to completely let go. 

Alex rolled his eyes playfully. "If you think that of me now, when I've lost my edge... I just don't know what to think." 

"You? Lost your edge in the space of a few days?" Fox laughed and playfully tousled Alex's thick hair. 

"Fox, you make me forget myself. Those thugs in your apartment... Skinner sneaking up on us all the time! I am more distracted than I can remember ever being." 

Fox frowned a bit. "Alex, you were... _we_ were outnumbered in the apartment. It isn't your fault and besides you aren't superman," Fox said softly. 

Alex shrugged. Well aware of his failures to protect Fox... and himself. 

Fox attempted to lighten his lover's mood by tickling his muscled ribs. "Are you saying that I turned you into a little pussy cat? A cuddly little cat?" Fox teased. 

Alex's head snapped up. "Purr for me, little cat," Garren had crooned to him. 

"A sweet little cat to purr..." Fox began. Alex moved so fast that Fox didn't even have time to stop smiling. He was slammed against the wall with such force his breath was taken from him. Fierce eyes, the eyes of a killer bored into him. He'd never seen Alex look at him like that before. Not even when they were enemies. Alex looked like he wanted to kill him, to tear him up bit by bit. Alex wasn't hurting him in any way, but violence festered in the iron grip and burning eyes. 

"Don't ever, _ever_ call me that! Do you hear me?" Alex hissed. He punctuated each word with a firm shake. 

Mulder was actually afraid of Alex at that moment. Perhaps if he hadn't seen how Alex had so easily taken out all those men so quickly in Mulder's apartment, he wouldn't have been so afraid. But, perhaps just the look and the strength in those hands that slammed him back would have scared him on their own. He nodded slowly. "Okay, Krycek. I won't," he said cautiously. 

It was the name that brought Alex back to himself. Krycek. Fox had called him Krycek again. He recoiled from the fear in Fox's eyes. He stepped back, confused. "I don't know why I did that. Please don't look at me like that, baby." He reached out to touch Fox's face and then, thinking better of it, withdrew it. 

"Like what?" Fox's voice was measured and calm. 

"Like you're afraid of me... like you're... _afraid_ of me," Alex whispered. He looked miserable as he left the bathroom and began to search the bedroom for his clothes, frantically. 

Fox took a deep breath and followed him. "I'm not afraid of you. I'm just confused. I don't know what to say," he said gently, approaching Alex. 

Alex shook his head, that look, that wary, suspicious look was still on Fox's face, in his beautiful eyes. "I don't know why I did that," Alex repeated. He hadn't meant to hurt Fox, but he had called him 'cat' just like Garren. Though he knew he hadn't hurt him nor would he ever, just the idea that he had lost control for those few moments, horrified him. He stepped away from Fox suddenly afraid that he would lose it again and really hurt Fox. 

Fox saw the panic in Alex's eyes and reached out to gently stroke Alex's face. "Talk to me. Tell me what I said. Tell me why you reacted to it. I want to help you, Alex. I love you." 

Alex tilted his face into the gentle caress. 

"We both have to talk about things," Fox soothed moving to embrace Alex. "I thought I'd never see you again." 

Alex stood docile, afraid to move lest Fox think better of holding him. Lest Fox realize once and for all that Alex wasn't worth his love. 

"I thought I'd never find you. And instead, you found me." 

Alex looked into Fox's concerned face. "I will always find you." 

They were silent for a moment. 

"He called me his... cat," Alex whispered. "He called me his little cat." 

Fox flinched. "Alex." 

"And I wanted him. There. I said it. I wanted him," Alex said gruffly. 

Fox shook his head and stroked Alex's face. "When you came to me that night, you were out of it. Like on drugs or something. Alex, you can't feel guilty..." 

"I begged him, Fox! I begged him to do it. God, I wanted it. I couldn't fight... I couldn't stop him... I..." 

Fox pulled Alex tight and held him as Alex shuddered. "I know," he managed to say. "I know." 

Alex looked at him. And understood. Fox did know. "He'll be coming for me. I know it. Fox, if he does, promise me you won't do anything stupid." 

Fox raised a brow. "Stupid?" 

"You can't know how strong he is. I don't want... I can't bear it if you were hurt. I can't protect you from him." 

"Okay. I'll let him take you," Fox said calmly. 

Alex frowned. He didn't like the look on Fox's face. 

"If you'll promise to do the same thing. Stand aside and do nothing if Murdoch comes for me." 

Alex glared and then he sighed. "Okay, Fox. Point taken." 

Fox kissed him. "The point is that we are _here_ for a reason." 

"Skinner," Alex mused. 

"Yes. I think we have to trust that he can protect us. It's all we have," Fox said with finality. 

Alex looked down at his bare feet. That was the point of it after-all. Skinner could keep Fox safe, even from Alex. He recalled the night he made his escape, the thing that had taken over his body. He shuddered. At least it had led him to Fox. He'd rather forget what it forced him to do to himself. He tilted his head. Hadn't he carried something to be delivered to Fox? 

"Baby, didn't I give you a package that night?" 

Fox knew what he meant and he nodded. "Yeah, that's right. Where is it?" 

Alex shrugged. "The last I saw it was the helicopter." 

Mulder pursed his lips, the movement catching Alex's carnal interest like a hook. Mulder sucked in his upper lip, scraping the flesh with his teeth as he pondered that. "Yep, that's right. It must be there still. What was it? You said you were bringing it to me." 

Alex shook his head. "I don't know. Some strange man gave it to me... someone who was fighting Murdoch I think... yes he was fighting, there were dead wolves everywhere." 

"Who was it? Why did he give you the package?" 

"I don't know. I went to him... he gave it to me and told me to give it to you... only he didn't really tell me your name." 

"What? What do you mean?" 

"I don't know, it was confusing. Fox, there was something... something inside me. It helped me escape, and it knew the man. It is blurry really," he lied, unwilling to discuss it further. 

"Inside you? What do you mean?" Fox thought back to that night, how odd Alex had been. "Was it in you when Fro and I found you?" 

Alex nodded. "Can we just drop it for now?" 

Fox was frustrated. Someone was fighting Murdoch out there. Maybe someone they could ally with. But the strained look in Alex's eyes made him nod gently. "Sure, Alex. We can talk later, but we'll have to tell Skinner about this." 

"I know, just later okay?" 

Fox kissed Alex softly. "Whatever makes you happy. We'll talk about it later." 

"Fox, I still want to know about Murdoch... if you want to talk about it that is." 

Fox tensed. "He, he is crazy. And Alex? He is evil... not just in the garden variety psycho way, but truly evil." 

Alex lowered his head. Neither of them was going to easily forget their experiences. "But, he didn't hurt you did he?" Garren had punished him, but other than that he had been careful, almost reverent with Alex. 

Fox turned away. "Of course he did, but perhaps you're right. We need time to come to grips with things... then we can talk." 

Alex remembered Garren's words. "Did he whip you, baby?" 

Fox turned to him, a surprised gasp on his lips. "How did you know that?" The humiliation of that whipping, the crop slamming onto his tender flesh, the rape after... the camera and the crowd watching. 

Alex stared hard at the near-panicked look on Fox's face and just held him. "Forget about it. C'mon let's just get dressed." 

* * *

**Hour 0800**

"Stop that racket, Langly. Some people like to sleep a little later than the early bird you know!" Frohike complained as the loud noises just outside disturbed his beauty sleep. 

"Wake up, Frohike. A bunch of people are coming," Byers said with a breathless voice. He was watching the group of people winding their way toward the cabins and trailer. They were on foot, on bikes, some teens were on skateboards and rollerblades, the last finding it difficult once the pavement ended to make it to the circle of cabins. "There is a whole bunch of people coming." 

Frohike stood, smoothed his flyaway hair and pulled on his gray slacks. "People? From the town?" 

"I suppose so... they look normal enough," Byers responded, still peering out the window. 

"Better get my girls anyway... just for precaution of course," Frohike muttered. 

"Your girls? " Byers turned to see Frohike strapping on his leather belts and checking his guns. "Oh yes. Those girls. Just watch you don't shoot yourself." He smiled. "By the way, do they have names yet?" 

Frohike huffed at that little bit of sarcasm and went out to meet the crowd. He did hope that his compadre Krycek was packing too. They made a formidable team... even if the other Gunmen didn't quite understand that yet. He patted his two girls. So what if he had named them? Big Bertha and Fast Francine were deadly and his pals would one day be glad he was becoming so proficient with them. 

* * *

Skinner was just setting the food on the table when he sensed the human parade coming toward them. "Fox. Alex. Come out here," he barked. He experienced a secret thrill as the two beauties hurried to obey his command. Alex was wearing jeans and Fox, only a towel. "Get dressed, people from the town are coming." 

"We were getting dressed," Alex grumbled as he and Fox turned back to obey. 

"I really want my own clothes," Fox pouted as he pulled on jeans and a white sweater. 

"Oh yes, the glamorous suits would really be appropriate," Alex smirked. He ran a gentle, conciliatory hand down Fox's arm. His eyes asked forgiveness for his actions in the bathroom and Fox's responding grin eased him somewhat. 

"Those suits project authority. People listen to you better when you are appropriately suited," Fox teased, so glad they weren't talking about Murdoch or Garren anymore. 

"Oh, gotcha. So I was wrong all these years. I thought it was the actions of the man that defined him. I should have worn Armani." 

Fox chuckled, "No you wore the appropriate gear for your... uh... line of work." 

Alex nodded and said nothing. Fox would never forget what he was, especially not when he went mad like he did a few moments earlier. 

Fox pulled on some thick socks and laced up a pair of borrowed boots, grimacing at the tight fit. "I am going to go to the town _today_ and get some clothes," he vowed. "My own. Not borrowed from some dead people... Jesus they are dead aren't they? And here we are just taking their stuff as if they were of no consequence." He ran a shaking hand through his hair and Alex sat next to him, putting a strong arm about Fox. 

Alex drew Fox tight and said, "You don't even know that. They might not have even been here when it happened. Hey, you can't help what happened, baby, and you gotta wear clothes," Alex soothed. Personally he could care less about the inhabitants of the cabins. He only cared about Fox, the rest of the world could go to Hell for all he cared. 

"I feel like such a... a looter!" 

"Well, you aren't. But if it makes you happy we'll go to town and get everything you want. I'll take you myself," he said softly, kissing Fox's face. "I could use some more black anyway." 

Fox grinned and turned to kiss Alex. "You are really, really bad. Do you know that? You are bad to the bone." 

"Mulder! Krycek! Get out here," Skinner barked. 

Mulder jumped up with a wink directed at his still-sitting lover. "His majesty summons us," he quipped easily, unaccountably happy at that moment. He devoured Alex with his eyes. No matter what happened he had Alex. And that was more than he had ever had. 

Alex finished dressing and followed Fox out to face the next adventure. 

Skinner went to meet the group of people who stood gathered waiting for him. Their looks of awe and appreciation made him uncomfortable but he simply welcomed them as warmly as he could and then they all started talking at once. 

Alex stopped next to Fox and leaned toward him to whisper in his ear. "I guess the big guy came through. The way they're talking it seems like they think he's the Easter Bunny and Santa all rolled into one big hulk." 

Fox smiled, inordinately proud of Skinner. "Yeah, he sure did." He watched as one person after another told of how the strange creatures had not made a reappearance and that the night was one of quiet, albeit strained peace. Skinner took all the praise and managed to refocus the conversation to one of tasks, endless tasks that needed to be done. After thirty minutes Mulder sensed that Alex was growing restless. Frohike was standing to Alex's right as if he belonged there and Mulder had to smile. The other two Gunmen were standing a distance away. The looks of appreciation from several of the females they received seemed to confuse them. 

Skinner looked over and gestured for Mulder to come to him. Mulder moved toward Skinner with Alex shadowing him. 

"Mulder, you and Alex and the Gunmen will go into the town and help organize..." 

"Sir, may I suggest something?" 

Skinner turned, unused to being interrupted. His face took on a faintly resigned look as the middle-aged woman spoke again. 

"We came here to invite you to our gathering. The town is holding a little festival tonight... to celebrate... that is if it really is safe. We want you and your friends to attend. There will be plenty of time to plan tomorrow." Several echoes of agreement from her fellow townspeople greeted the woman's words. 

Skinner felt a strong thread of irritation at being questioned by this human, but he repressed this with a feeling of shame. He nodded gallantly. "That would be very nice. We would love to come." 

"I need clothes of my own," Mulder insisted and Alex chuckled. 

Skinner frowned and then nodded. "Go into town. I need to begin plans for moving south." 

Mulder ignored this last bit and just grinned. "I have to go tell Scully," he said quickly and rushed off to find his partner. 

* * *

**Fort Bragg, California  
Day Three  
Hour 1930 **

Dusk settled in, but bonfires lit the streets of downtown Fort Bragg. The night came gently this evening, bringing forth no rabid beasts or screams of terror. Groups of people formed bands and the music mingled with the laughter and conversations of thousands of people lining the streets. Some people were just moving stiffly, as if looking for lost loved ones they would never find, but the general attitude was one of joy. Strange that, it had only been one night of peace, but it was enough. They felt as if they had come, victorious out of the dark. Maggie Scully was talking with a group of women, sharing stories and comforting one another. Mulder stood next to Scully away from the crowd. They were talking amicably and Mulder was teasing Scully about something. Alex watched as Scully tried to affect a disapproving frown only to yield laughing to something that Mulder said as he wriggled his brows. Alex fought back his jealousy as Mulder touched Scully, her arm, her hair, the sleeve of her new tailored jacket. Mulder too was wearing a new suit, not Armani, but beautiful on him all the same. Alex shook his head. Only Fox Mulder would pick out suits after the world had gone to hell. Well, he amended, only Mulder and Scully. They both dressed themselves as if they were on a case, as if they would be returning to D.C. soon, to walk the halls of the Hoover, flashing their I.D.s to gain access. 

Frohike wanted to join his buds in their wining and dining, but he stood next to Krycek and offered the man a beer. Krycek shook his head. 

"It's Sam Adams, man! How can you refuse it?" Frohike demanded. 

Krycek had to smile. The man was so appalled. "Alcohol dulls the senses. Gives a person a false sense of security. I do like Sam though," Alex admitted. "I just want to make sure Fox is okay," he finished, turning his watchful eyes back on his lover. The party be damned, he wasn't going to drop his guard and let anything happen to Fox. The rest of the people could fend for themselves. 

"Well, shit, this is a party. No one is going to barge in here with both Skinner and Antonio here," Frohike sighed. "I'm off to see what Langly and Byers are up to, but call me if you need backup." 

Krycek chuckled as the little man strode off toward his strange companions. He couldn't help it. He liked the little guy. He was as innocent as a child, but spunky. He returned to watching Fox. This town, this party was irritating. He wasn't interested in it. His natural distrust of people coupled with his constant need to look for assassins under the smiling face of elderly women made this an ordeal to be tolerated. He wished Fox would just get tired of it and want to be alone. As it was Fox was enjoying himself. He couldn't leave Fox alone so he was stuck here. Skinner was off conferring with the remaining law enforcement officers and the town's elected officials. He could see the big man, who unlike Fox, was dressed in casual slacks and tight knit shirt. He did have one fantastic body, Alex admitted once again. Every muscle was pronounced and yet somehow sleek. There was such strength in that body. A group of children ran past Alex, knocking into him. He gritted his teeth. He hated kids. Little creatures that were always messing up things. How many times had a hit gone wrong because some undisciplined child had skittered between he and his target? Troublemakers, all of them. 

Fox waved at him and he managed a gentle smile in response to the happy wave. He reacted instantly when a hand touched his gun. He found his hand filled with a soft shirt as he lifted the young boy in his grip. The pest looked to be about seven years old. He glared into the wide brown eyes and growled, "Don't ever touch that weapon again. Do you understand?" 

The little boy nodded so eagerly that he resembled a pogo stick from the neck up. Alex set him down expecting the boy to dash off, wailing for his mother. Instead the little boy stood his ground. 

"Go on. Shoo. I am not kid-friendly," Alex growled. 

"I never said your name was Kidfriendly... I don't even _know_ your name! Jeez! I'm Sam. And I have a secret weapon. Works better than that old thing you got there," Sam declared. 

"That's great, now shoo." 

"Wanna know what it is?" 

"No." 

"'Cause I could tell you," Sam promised. 

"No." 

"It works against them wolves. I saw it in a movie." 

Alex glared at the little pest. He wasn't responding well to glares. He wondered what did work on kids. "What is it?" 

The little boy held up a lock of short hair tied together with kite string. "Wolf bangs! Werewolves hate it! Makes 'em die," Sam proudly proclaimed. 

"Wolf Bangs?" Alex echoed, his surprise evident. 

Mulder came up just in time to hear this last bit. He had seen Alex lift the little boy up and though he knew Alex would probably not hurt the child he hastened over all the same. He tried not to laugh at the child's prized weapon. 

"Wow," he said kneeling down to see the short golden hairs. "You got this off a wolf huh?" 

Alex sighed. Fox would talk to anyone. 

The boy frowned a bit and scuffed his shoe on the pavement. "Well, no. But Trixie is a Cocker Spaniel... she is kinda stupid and mean, but she is the closest thing to a wolf. See I cut a part of her bangs off and now no wolf is gonna get me or my mom and dad." 

Mulder touched the prized Cocker Spaniel hair and said, "That is very smart. You should be safe here though. There is only a small amount of road into Fort Bragg not bordered by rivers. And you know that werewolves can't cross running water." 

The boy grinned. That was good news. "Course I knew that! What'd you think?" With that the little boy ran off to share this news with his friends. 

Alex was stunned. "What was that?" he asked. 

Fox smiled. "I think your little friend was confusing wolfsbane and wolf bangs," he chuckled. "Oh that is so rich." 

"No about water... running water," Alex insisted. 

Mulder shrugged. "Werewolves can't cross running water. But, don't ask me why." 

* * *

He watched the two changed humans, they smelled so good. He wanted them. He made his way over to stand nearer. The humans all around distracted him slightly, their blood and flesh begging to be eaten, but it was the changed ones he wanted. They shouldn't be here with the prey. His brown eyes flickered to the two non-humans, the ones who were so frightening. As long as he and his pack members remained unchanged they could stay unnoticed. They had to hunt far afield from here, far from the protection of the big one's force. He smiled and passed a friendly word with one of his neighbors. His bitch was helping pass out drinks to the revelers and their eyes met for a moment in a flash of feral amber. The alpha member of their little pack came to stand beside him, drawn as well to the two deliciously beautiful changed ones. 

"James, I take the hazel-eyed one," his leader said, desire husking his voice. 

"As you will, Marcus," James deferred. "I'll take the pretty green-eyed one." 

They moved ever closer. "We will have to be quick. Take them somewhere away from here... they are so pretty... so sweet," Marcus gasped. 

He placed a friendly hand on his hazel-eyed prey. "Hello, beautiful," he husked out, pulling the pretty close. He was surprised to find himself on his back on the street with furious green eyes staring down at him. The pretty male was fast; he'd never seen a human so fast. He came to his feet easily and opened his mouth to punish the sexy green-eyed male who had attacked him, but he smelled something that lingered under the sweet scent. A smell that made him tremble. He backed away, eyes wide. That scent, that frightening, familiar and beloved scent. James too had caught it and he had already fled. 

"Forgive... forgive me. I meant no disrespect. I didn't know." He turned and hurried away. 

Alex frowned. He hadn't hurt the man. 

Fox frowned as well. "How rude!" He proclaimed. 

Alex looked at him. "What?" 

"He apologized to you! I'm the one he groped. Why is that?" Fox growled. 

Alex stared after the retreating man, his eyes narrowed. He ignored Mulder's grumbling and grabbed his elbow. He pulled Mulder from the street and toward a darkened storefront. He barely heard Mulder's complaints as he placed both of their backs to the wall, avoiding the windows. 

"Are you going to answer me, or just drag me everywhere?" Mulder demanded. 

"Something wasn't right about those men... something off. They... they just weren't right," Alex said harshly. His gaze scanned the crowd and found nothing overtly threatening. His eyes locked with a woman who was handing a beer to a portly man. She was laughing and smiling but as their eyes met, Alex tensed. She was wrong too. She was a pretty woman, almost beautiful. She had her hair in a ponytail and she wore very little makeup. She seemed a typical middleclass woman and yet her eyes were a killer's eyes. They met his and he shivered. There was a possessive quality to her stare, as if she knew him... well. 

"Alex, a little paranoia goes a long way. I should know! But you don't have to drag me around. You could say, 'Mulder, I think we should make a mad dash toward the wall and plaster ourselves against it.' And then I could say, 'Oh sure, Alex! Sounds like a plan. Let's makes asses out of ourselves.' " 

Alex sighed. "Fox, you never know when to shut up. You babble and babble. I am telling you. There. Was. Something. Wrong. Now just trust me," he hissed. 

Mulder glared at him. "Trust you? Why not trust me? You fling me here. You fling me..." 

"Is there something wrong?" Antonio asked smoothly. 

Mulder snapped his mouth shut. "No. Alex is spooked. And I am going to find Scully." With one last look that promised he would deal with Alex later, Mulder moved away. 

Alex wanted to strangle him. He made to follow him but Antonio stopped him with a small smile and a little mental nudge. 

Alex found himself frozen to the spot. He was furious. He'd kill Antonio... as soon as Antonio let him move. 

Antonio smiled and watched Fox stalk off. "He really is a beauty isn't he, caro?" He made Alex lean casually against the wall and he mimicked the position next to him. "I love how you make him beg. He begs so prettily doesn't he?" He smiled as Alex tensed at Antonio's words. He ran a finger down Alex's arm, flicking the black sleeve of Alex's tight shirt. He traced the bulging bicep beneath the end of the sleeve. "I would take you there as well, caro. Screaming to the edge." 

Antonio was going to be very surprised with his arm broken, Alex promised himself. He looked over to where Mulder and Scully stood. Mulder cast him an angry look. Some brilliant profiler. Antonio was still sliding his hand up and down Alex's arm while Mulder pouted off with the wonderful Scully. 

"Oh, Alex, if you don't want to be with Skinner, you can come south with me," Antonio crooned. "Dana would grow to desire you as I do. Fox might even follow you... who can say?" He leaned in to smell Alex. "You smell so nice... almost like... flowers?" 

Alex's eyes widened. Fox would die! He said he wouldn't smell like a girl. He would deal with him later. 

"Why don't you speak? I will allow it." 

Alex raised a brow and wondered what Antonio would do if he suddenly screamed like the flowery maiden he smelled like. "I'd like to tell you how much I am going to enjoy ripping your arm off, but that might spoil the surprise." 

Antonio chuckled. "You are going to learn so much in the next few months. Maybe I'll just wait for Skinner to bring you to heel. You'll be so much more pliable then." He stroked Alex's cheek and couldn't resist kissing those pink lips. He plucked at one hard nipple and sighed. "Maybe I cannot wait." 

"Are you quite finished?" Mulder asked through gritted teeth. He had stormed back as soon as he saw the ascendant pawing Alex. He gave Alex a icy stare for allowing the kiss and the caresses. Alex stared back at him with an unfathomable look. 

Antonio grinned. "No, but..." He stopped as he saw Dana standing beside her partner. Her brow was raised in that way of hers that broad casted her displeasure so effectively. 

"Yes, Antonio, are you quite finished?" She asked coolly. 

The jealousy in her voice made Antonio shake his head. She was going to have to understand. He was a god, he would have to have more than one lover. "Cara, I was but talking to him." 

"It looked like pawing to me," Mulder growled. 

"Me too, "Dana concurred. 

Antonio glared at his lover's partner. Would he never stop getting her angry with him? "It is only pawing if the person being pawed is... how shall I say... unavailable." 

Dana looked at her lover with a questioning look. In many ways, Antonio was like a child. It at once frustrated her and made her feel protective of him. She knew the protective feeling was ridiculous as he had power she couldn't quite comprehend, but she was nonetheless. As far as him lusting for Alex and Mulder, she was unfazed. She found the two men to be incredibly erotic... more so than ever. She even found Byers to be appealing. Her sex drive was in high gear and that she attributed to whatever change she and the others had gone through. 

With a near clinical detachment she accepted the situation. It wasn't that she minded the idea of Antonio wanting another man, not really, but that he was choosing one already attached to Mulder. She was very confident in Antonio's attachment to her. Further, she had never felt so strongly about any other person. She loved the scoundrel. Not enough for him to upset Mulder with impunity, but enough to forgive him after he was dully punished, even if that punishment was a mere tongue lashing. The phrase tongue-lashing made her flush. Antonio certainly knew how to give those, in more intimate moments. She felt her ire melt away as she stared into his sexy face. He really looked like one of those lush models who wore butter-soft Italian leather coats and posed languidly for the camera. He looked deceptively slim, but she knew how perfectly muscled he was. She had spent hours adoring him. 

Mulder saw the softening pose of his partner and he frowned. "Just stay away from him, Tony. I mean it," Fox growled. He pulled at Alex who was unusually rigid. He stared at Alex confused by the resistance to move toward him. 

"Tell your lover to let me go, Scully," Alex hissed, still frozen by Antonio's mind. 

Fox put himself in front of Alex, furious that the bastard was controlling Alex as he had done to Fox the night Alex had been taken. It was a gross violation. "Let him go right now!" 

Antonio nodded, a bit regally and allowed Alex free movement. 

Scully stopped Alex from leaping onto Antonio with a quick, "No, Krycek. I'll deal with him." 

Alex felt Mulder's arms about his waist, trying to hold Alex back. "You better handle him, Scully. I don't like being pawed," Alex hissed. 

Mulder had a hard time holding Alex still. He was still stunned at how fast Alex had moved from behind him. 

Antonio bristled at the whole exchange. He loved Dana, but she would not handle him. That was going a bit far even for her. He gave her a dark look and grabbed her arm. As he pulled her away from the two stubborn toys, he promised himself that he would take his place soon. He would leave the next morning and begin to build an empire to rival that of what Skinner intended to construct. 

Mulder turned Alex to face him. "I am constantly having to rescue you, Alex." 

Alex paused at that comment. Mulder had been serious. His tone was somewhat overwhelmed. Alex decided to ignore those silly words and instead he rubbed at his lips. "He said I smelled like flowers, Mulder." 

Mulder had to laugh, which earned him another glare. 

* * *

**East of Salt Lake City, Utah  
Day Three  
Hour 1930 **

The pack members running with him now numbered fifty. They abandoned their homes, many leaving their bitches behind if they had young to care for. Getting closer to his mate made Garren relentless in his pursuit. He stopped only long enough to feed, to sex, and to sleep for short periods of time. The hunt invigorated him and he never bothered to change to his human appearance. He could see the Sierra Nevada looming before him. The pack began to howl around him as other pack members joined them. The Sierra like the Rockies before them would be only a hurdle to cross. He had not rested in four hundred miles, but oh what a reward waited for him. Garren grinned, Skinner would have quite a surprise in store for him. The pack cared not for ascendants or their wishes, they would fight anything and anyone Garren chose. Skinner could not hold his mate from him. 

Suddenly he saw Alex, standing near the pretty Fox. He was against a wall, staring right into Garren's eyes. The look on that sexy face, so wary. Oh his little cat. He was arguing with the prince, and Garren wondered how Alex would react if Garren indulged himself with the tempting Fox. Could he share his mate with the lovely prince? The protective way Alex tried to shield the little Fox from harm spoke volumes of Alex's devotion to him. Could he truly claim Alex without taking Fox too? Garren growled as the Fox left to be replaced by an ascendant, one who fondled what was Garren's alone to touch. Each wolf running with him felt his fury. He commanded all the wolves for a thousand miles to come to him. The bitch whose eyes he used was drawn off by her mate and Garren could see his cat no more. It didn't matter, he would be with Alex soon. 

**Fort Bragg, California  
Cabins   
Day Three   
Hour 2000**

The cabin was dark as he stood in the bedroom. He saw everything perfectly, but it was his sense of smell that was holding his attention. The smell of sex was like a drug. It made his body rigid, his cock throbbed as he slid one, pale hand over the soft fabric of his trousers. He could smell the two changed humans' heat and lust. He hissed his frustration. He had lived so long without fear of reprisal. He took what he wanted and fed where he would. Now the changed world, glorious in its darkness, was populated with humans who had become too powerful to challenge. He lay on the bed and took a deep breath. He could smell the differences between the two beauties. He chose then which one to take. He would take him far away and keep him as his slave. He smiled and wondered how the beauty would like the dark mountains of his homeland. The journey would be long and hard, but Mikhail would take his prize north, over ice and snow and the cold, black waters that separated this new world from the old. His blood, the black ancient blood that gave him strength, not the borrowed crimson blood of humans, burned with his lust. Visions of long limbs, spread wide, gasping, full lips open wide for his own, for his fingers, for his cock. Tight, pink flesh, stretched over him, and blood. Always blood. Just enough to whet his appetite. He left the scent of his arousal on the bed. A challenge for his lethal ally. He rose gracefully, as if his body was fluid. He found a discarded article of clothing rich with his chosen one's scent and walked slowly into the night. 

* * *

Out on the rocks surrounded by waves, the Schell landed. It was here that he must wait. Here he could watch for the pretty prince. It heard claws on the submerged rocks below it, and it had time to give a keening cry before the creatures below pulled it down to devour it. The black water bubbled with the Schell's white blood as bits of missed flesh tumbled to the shore. 

* * *

Alex was kissing Fox's throat, kissing with such passionate intensity that Fox felt as if he were burning. He sighed as Alex's hand caressed his eager erection. They were sitting near a band that was playing a pretty good Dixie Jazz and the watchful Skinner constantly checked on them with intense stares. 

"I want to do you right here, baby. I want to make you come sitting right here in the middle of this crowd," Alex whispered as his hand clutched at Fox's throbbing cock. 

The milling people could smell the two's arousal, though they did not know that they were smelling it, they only knew the two were amazingly attractive and sensual. It didn't seem odd for the two men to be nuzzling one another, they were obviously sexual beings, and as such should be indulging themselves in such a way. 

"Would you let me? Would you let me do that, Fox? Just take out your cock and play with you?" Alex's voice was a moist invitation, shaky in his desire. 

Fox shook his head, "No, not... oh, not here, Alex," he hissed. He belied his refusal by spreading his legs further, allowing Alex's hand free access to his cock and balls. 

Alex dipped his tongue into Fox's mouth and licked the parted lips. "I'd keep you from screaming, baby. I'd take your screams into me," Alex whispered, capturing Fox's lips in a demonstration of just how he would take Fox's screams. The kiss was intense and consuming, and Alex unzipped Fox's trousers intending to slip inside and stroke his hot, hard flesh. 

"I'd just as soon not expose him for the pleasure of everyone watching, Alex," Skinner said quietly, his voice husky with his own passion. He drew Fox up abruptly and devoured the well-kissed mouth in his own possessive kiss. He took the round buttocks in a fierce grip and tugged Mulder closer to him. 

Alex stood and clenched his fists. He watched as Skinner feasted on Mulder, as he pulled and pried on the full cheeks. He began to make small pacing movements as he was torn between the desire to rip the bastard off his lover, his property and the desire to join in. He felt like a caged animal, wanting to do something, anything. Fox made a sound that was somewhere between protest and passion, and Alex placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, to remind him of his presence. 

Skinner pulled back and grinned at Fox's dazed face. "I could devour you whole, Fox, you make me crazy." He turned a look on Alex. His assassin was about to revolt, he could see it in the flash of jade, in the tense, muscled body. "Oh yes, and you, Alex. I could devour you too," he promised and was rewarded by a rare flush on Alex's face. 

Fox suddenly pressed himself wantonly against him. Both Skinner and Alex were stunned as Fox cupped and kneaded Skinner's considerable bulge. Fox kissed and nibbled on Skinner's throat, rubbing his body up against Skinner's like some stray and eager alleycat. 

"Mulder!" Alex growled. 

Skinner chuckled. "So you don't want me to devour Alex, I take it? That is what this is about isn't it?" 

Fox tensed and affected an innocent expression. "No, no that isn't it. Don't you want to take me somewhere... alone?" 

"Mulder!" Alex growled in ever-increasing fury. What was Fox doing? 

"I will take you _both_ very soon. And though I appreciate your... uh... attentions, I do not like you trying to manipulate me. And look, Alex is upset," Walter growled. 

Fox looked guiltily at Alex, trying to ignore the heated glare. 

Alex was frankly, furious and amazed. 

"Tell Alex you're sorry, Fox. Then kiss me and apologize to me for being a bad little Fox," Walter commanded, his tone husky with desire and the heady power of controlling such a beauty. He stroked Fox's plump mouth and bent to accept the forthcoming kiss. 

Fox pulled back and shook his head. 

"Don't test me, Fox, this isn't D.C. I am no longer your A.D." 

"Tell me something I don't know," Fox bit out. "My A.D. would never have kept another person as a sex slave!" 

Skinner looked down, "But he would have wanted to, Fox. Do you realize how long I have wanted you?" 

Fox turned into Alex's embrace and hid his face in Alex's warm throat. "I'm sorry, Alex. I just didn't want to share you." 

Alex stared into Walter's brown eyes and wasn't really surprised to see regret there. "It's okay, baby, I know the feeling. But we made a deal."  


Skinner nodded in approval as Alex soothed Fox. "Take Fox back to the cabin. I will come right after I say goodnight. And, Alex?" 

Alex looked up from Fox's head. "Yes?" 

"Tonight I will play no games. You are both mine and it is past time you both knew it. I will have no more little scenes by Fox. See to it that I don't have to punish him." 

Alex gasped and Fox tensed in anger. "You _will_ not punish him, Skinner. If you so much as lift one finger to him in anger, I will kill you," Alex hissed. 

Skinner smiled. "I would never hurt him, Alex, but I would make him watch me take you all night long. That would be sweet torment for you wouldn't it, Fox? I would so much rather a night of mutual passion, but don't test me. You won't win." 

Fox turned to face him. "I would do all that you asked and more, if you could just leave Alex..." 

"Enough! Alex, take him back to the cabin. Now!" 

Alex bristled. "How? My magic carpet is being cleaned at the moment, if you must know." 

Skinner grinned and pointed to an old, blue Jeep. "Take that," Skinner sighed. These two were more work than all his plans to rebuild this community and beyond. But for all that they were his most precious project. He could see the glimmer of a future, a happy future with the two, but it would be a rough road to get to that point. A rough and erotic road, he mused with a grin. His cock throbbed when Mulder gave him a pouting glare. It was more for Skinner's insistence on taking Alex then anything else. He chuckled openly as Alex led the still-bristling agent away. 

He had to smile when he saw Byers dancing a slow dance with a pretty woman. The two were whispering and laughing together while Frohike and Langly regaled a gathering of townspeople with the tale of their escape from Washington D.C. and their facing down the forces of evil, the architect of the changing, Murdoch and his dark creatures beneath the city. He closed his eyes and located Antonio. When he was satisfied that Antonio was still in the town, completely involved in making Dana happy, he turned to wrap up his dealings with the town leaders. After another long half-hour of discussions he kissed the mayor on the cheek, and she bade him goodnight. He spent another several minutes assuring himself that the Gunmen and Mrs. Scully were fine, and after they all assured him they would be staying in the town that night, Skinner left. The people around him were amazed to see the big man just disappear. 

"He does that," Byers assured his companion as she held tight to his slim frame. He blushed in pleasure as she kissed his neck. 

"You're so brave," she breathed. 

"Yes, well... I suppose," he stammered. 

She kissed him full on the lips, loving the way he tasted. 

Frohike grinned and turned to look around for a likely companion. After he had discovered how to be a tough hombre, the honeys just seemed to be anxious to bed him. He snapped his finger and pointed at a blushing, excited woman. She looked like a school teacher, but he suspected she was very hot indeed. He'd give her a crack at the Fro-man. She came to his side with an eager smile. Life could definitely be good even in these dark times. 

Langly looked confused at the attention he was receiving. He just wanted to get back in his trailer and hide, but a college-aged jock brushed up against him and he felt an illicit tingling in his body. The young athlete grinned at him over his muscled shoulder and Langly found himself trotting after him with eager anticipation. This was really, _really_ strange. He had always had a jock fantasy, usually there was a pretty cheerleader involved as well, but what the hell? He could stand to be the star in this young man's night. 

Frohike shook his head, Langly had gone down the male path too. Oh well, sex was just too good to miss, even more so now than ever. Personally he had never been hornier, and that was saying something indeed. 

* * *

**McClellan Air Force Base  
Sacramento, California  
Day Three  
Hour 2000**

The ship landed on the abandoned air field of McClellan Air Force Base. The eerie green lights illuminated the darkness and the humans nearby fled in fear. The awful pink light that had exploded around them not so many nights ago had left a path of death and destruction, bringing with it creatures out of the darkest nightmares. And this greenish light could not be good news. The dead things lurched toward the light. Maybe there was some easy, slow food there. They were shot in the head and destroyed immediately by the soldiers guarding the two men who walked from the ship to the large, dark building. Moments later lights filled the entire base. A high-pitched hum, too high for human ears, caused nearby pack members to howl in pain and rage. Most just fled the noise, but some changed to human form to protect their ears and still the sound irritated them. The bright lights attracted other beasts but the dozens of trained killers took out each threat with practiced ease as the two men inside the old Command headquarters poured themselves a glass of cognac and settled in for the night. 

Outside the leather beat of wings overhead alerted one young soldier and he looked up to see a young man falling from the sky. The young soldier's blue eyes widened as the undeniably appealing man held out a hand. 

"Blood," it sighed and visions of incredible sex filled the soldiers muscled body. His cock hardened and throbbed in his fatigues. He lowered his gun, watching those red lips curve in an enticing smile. He wanted those lips on him... sucking... 

The sound of an automatic rifle near him ripped him from his daze as the beautiful creature's face dissolved into pulp. Long fangs appeared in the ruined face as the young creature fell backwards writhing and screaming. 

"What's wrong with you, Adams?" 

The soldier turned to see his sergeant who had fired into the face of the sexy thing. He shook his head in confusion and then leveled his own gun and proceeded to pump the writhing body with bullets. It died screaming, but the long hooked fangs still gleamed white in the pulped face. He knew what it was, but even then he wished for a moment that he had been allowed to experience the joy it had promised. His cock still throbbed in response. 

* * *

**Cabins  
Fort Bragg, California  
Day Three  
Hour 2030 **

"Come lay down, Alex, I said I was sorry. Why can't you accept it?" Fox lay back on the bed. He had discarded his shoes, tie and jacket. "Please come here?" 

Alex ran a hand through his hair and gave in. He lay next to Fox and rested on one elbow to look down at his irritating lover. He stroked Fox's lips with his thumb and sighed. "I'm not angry, baby. Well, just a little I guess. You might have been a little less... eager to discourage Skinner from wanting a threesome." 

Fox pouted, his lips ripe and ready. "I know, but I just wanted..." 

"To throw yourself at him. I know, I saw," Alex growled and kissed Fox. "We made a deal. Either we stay or we go. If we stay... we stay... if we go then we go now." 

"So you don't mind having sex with him?" Fox questioned. 

"I mind you having sex with him, but I'd rather him then some other unknown. At least we are together. Why? Do you mind having sex with him? Because if you do, then we can just leave right now." 

"I mind you having sex with him. I... I don't mind... I mean that is that I will admit to having some desire for him... some affection. Nothing like how I feel for you, but still, I trust him," Fox sighed. 

"With Scully's life?" Alex teased. 

"No. With your life," Fox said softly, a wealth of emotion in his low voice. "And I think that may well be the most important thing I can trust someone with." 

Alex shivered. The emotions he felt, the love he felt for Fox was overwhelming. And the responsibility of caring for someone this much made him shake. He could normally take care of himself, but now he had Fox to care for. No matter how clever Fox was, he was still too trusting to survive in this new and strange world. Shit, Alex even feared for himself in this crazy world. He became, in that moment, utterly resolved to agree to Skinner's terms and to convince Fox to do so as well. Skinner was the best choice. 

Alex kissed Fox gently. "You are better than me, I don't really trust anyone with your life. But if I had to I suppose I would trust Skinner not to hurt you." 

"You can trust the Gunmen and Scully too," Fox assured. 

"Oh yes. How could I forget that motley crew?" Alex teased. 

"Scully isn't motley... and the Gunmen... well they may have their own styles but motley they ain't!" Fox drawled lazily as Alex stroked his ribs through Fox's dress shirt. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, didn't mean to talk about your crew like that," Alex breathed as he bent to kiss a nipple through fabric. He caught the sensitive flesh in his teeth and tugged on it. He smiled to himself as Fox spread his legs. With Fox if you found an erogenous zone it was like a magic button, his legs would just automatically part. He really was a sweet little slut. He bit the nipple a little harder and Fox's hips moved restlessly. 

"Well, just don't... call them... call them... Alex," Fox sighed. 

Alex chuckled and moved on to the other nipple, "I won't call them Alex. I promise." 

Fox smiled, "Smart Ass!" 

Skinner was suddenly in the room. There was no sound, no bright light, he was just there. 

Alex sensed his presence and Fox whose eyes were closed seemed to sense him too, but he just licked his lips. 

For his part Skinner was ready to assert his domination of the two. While he understood their passion for one another, they were, in the end, his. "Alex, come here," he said quietly. 

Fox's eyes popped open and a disapproving frown curved his lips as Alex got of the bed. 

Alex approached Skinner slowly and he could hear Mulder sitting up in the bed. Skinner stroked Alex's face and smiled gently, his eyes filled with desire. 

"On your knees," he growled. 

Alex's only reaction to that was a slight flaring of his nostrils before he slid to his knees, his face level with Skinner's bulging crotch. 

"Kiss me," Skinner said, lightly stroking Alex's head. 

Fox frowned at the words. He didn't protest, but bit his lip as Alex leaned forward and kissed the fabric over Skinner's hard cock. His eyes met Skinner's and he felt rather than heard Skinner's command to come to him. He walked to the two men and stared at the sight of Alex's pink lips kissing the cloth-encased penis. 

"Take off your clothes, Fox." 

He blinked a few times before complying. Skinner's eyes were glowing red and Fox found himself shivering with desire. He wanted to please Skinner, though he couldn't say why. He knew Skinner wasn't influencing him. There was something here, something he never had known, a total lack of control. Not that he couldn't leave if he wished, but that in staying he gave up his choices. He gave up resistance, but also he gave up responsibility. If it weren't for his love of Alex, his desire to keep Alex for himself, he would be quite happy. With sudden clarity he realized that Skinner knew it, that Alex knew it as well. 

Skinner watched as Fox struggled with himself. He wanted the security of this arrangement, but he wanted it on many levels, the most important residing in his life-long search for love and security. 

"Take my cock out, Fox, and give it to Alex's mouth... feed it to him, baby," Walter said huskily. 

He knew that Fox would have to get over his possessiveness of Alex soon, or he would be miserable in this relationship. Surprisingly, Alex was less resistant to the whole thing. It was probably that Alex had seen so much, experienced so much in his young life. This was just another trial, maybe even a release. There was desire in the way those pretty lips caressed him. Skinner prayed that he would not take pleasure from either man if they were truly unwilling. He prayed that he hadn't changed that much, that he would take them even if their bodies weren't eager. He knew that part of their eagerness was their new nature. So sexual. So sweet. 

Fox was unzipping Skinner's trousers, and both he and Alex were unconsciously rapt with interest as the large cock peeped out from behind white, cotton boxers. When the huge organ was fully revealed both men sighed their appreciation. Skinner smiled down at them. Fox had kneeled beside his lover and both were staring entranced at the big cock. Alex still clothed, and Fox deliciously nude. 

"Kiss it, both of you." 

Alex kissed the tip, his lips moving aside to allow Mulder to join in on the caress. Fox's tongue flicked out and swabbed up the moisture there and Alex's tongue slid into Fox's mouth to share that pearl of moisture. Fox sucked in Alex's tongue before turning his attention back to the cock above him. While he tasted the head, Alex worked down the length of the shaft. Both men were lost in the sensuality of the moment, sharing Skinner's body as if it were some rare treat. 

"Look at me," Skinner managed. Both sets of lovely eyes looked up as if startled. He smiled, they really were so sexual. They had been so lost in the moment he imagined his words startled them. However, he wanted them to know who they were servicing. Fox slid the tip of Skinner's cock in and out of mouth and Alex worked down to his balls. They stared up at him as they worked; their eyes were glazed with passion. 

"Undress me, Fox. Alex, take off your clothes." 

Both men reluctantly left the sweet work and Fox slowly undressed Skinner, revealing the gloriously muscled frame. "You're so big," he whispered as he bent to kiss a nipple. 

Skinner hissed in appreciation and watched as Alex stripped. What a contrast between his two lovers. Where Alex's body was muscled and defined in every inch, Fox was lithe and his muscles long and toned. So perfect and beautiful both of them. Fox's athletic body and Alex's dangerous body. Skinner smiled. Before his changing, Alex could probably have killed him, Marine training or no. The man was dangerous, it made the seduction that much sweeter. Sweet meat. All his. Oh what he could do to these two. What fantasies he could play out. Every position, every possible perversion. He could lick honey from Alex's body, fuck Mulder's fantastic mouth, hard, while watching Alex pound into that tight sheath. He struggled with his nature and settled for bringing the two to the bed where he intended on exhausting them. 

The strange scent on the bedclothes distracted him. His eyes became glowing rubies and Fox backed into Alex nervously. Alex slid protective arms around Fox, as Skinner seemed to lose his mind. The bed was lifted and tossed toward the wall with a great heave and the window shattered out with such force the glass was thrown forty feet. Skinner began to pace and Alex drew Fox back away from him. 

"What is it, Walter?" Fox asked carefully, letting Alex move him away. 

Skinner turned to stare at his humans, his eyes like targeting beams. He shook his head, letting the rage flow out of him. Some creature, some ancient creature, strong enough to defy him had been here. Here where his humans slept. It was outrageous and he wanted to go out and hunt it, to kill it. It wanted what was his. Would take what was his if it had the chance. 

"Something was here, something that challenges me," he said quietly. He looked at the ruined window and was thankful there was no glass inside to cut his human's feet. He righted the bed and instructed Fox to fetch some clean linens. When the bed was re-made he sat on it, smiling now at his sweet ones. "Come to me." 

He lay with his legs spread wide as the two sucked and licked at his cock. Two heads bobbing in his lap, two hard cocks rubbing on his legs, two tight asses waiting to be filled. The pleasure was overwhelming as he held those heads tight by their hair and moved the pretty mouths to his own tune. He didn't bother with words, just moved Fox to sit over his face, Fox staring into Alex's eyes as Skinner moved Alex over his cock. He closed his eyes and tasted Fox as Alex's ass clutched tight on his throbbing, wet cock. Alex and Fox were kissing and stroking one another's organs, panting with need and lust. 

He took them many ways that night, but in the end they cuddled up together, Fox moving in his sleep to sprawl over Alex's resting body. Alex's eyes met Skinner's as Skinner kissed Fox's back. 

"I have to admit, that I enjoyed that," Alex sighed. 

Skinner chuckled. "I aim to please, assassin," he purred. 

Alex shifted Fox's head onto his shoulder as he smiled lazily. His green eyes slid closed as sleep overcame him. 

Skinner watched the two sleep as the first fingers of dawn began to stretch out in the sky. He rested for a few hours, not needing much sleep. The sound of the water crashing relentlessly ashore lulled him and he let himself drift. 

* * *

**Foothills of The Sierra Nevada  
Folsom, California  
Day Four  
Hour 0530**

The pack had moved into California early in the morning and Garren stopped to rest. He slept deeply, undisturbed by dreams or fears of failure. When he woke the hundreds of wolves with him roused themselves and followed him as he continued the hunt. They were of one mind, to reclaim their master's mate. When they descended from the Sierra and raced into the foothills they became agitated. Wolves began to change to human and back again as the unmistakable force of the ascendant made himself known. They howled and whimpered with the desire to change to human form and stay that way, but their Garren was implacable. He stayed changed and they could not keep up with him as humans. 

Garren seethed. This human ascendant was powerful. They were hundreds of miles from their goal and still his pack reacted. They would follow him but every mile closer to the ascendant they were more and more anxious. Garren too felt a small discomfort, but the human thief was not strong enough to control him. Younger pack members fell behind, but they would keep coming. Their fear was not strong enough to make them stop. He commanded the bitch who had been near his mate the previous night to go to him so he could once again see those beautiful eyes. She roused herself from her slumber three hundred miles away and though she trembled and whined in fear, she obeyed him. 

He had underestimated this ascendant, but he was nothing if not clever. His cat would be longing for him, even if he didn't know it. He could make the cat come to him. 

* * *

**Cabins  
Fort Bragg, California  
Day Four  
Hour 0530 **

Alex sighed in his sleep. The dream came. He was running and the wolves were chasing him, when he was brought down he saw his mate's gem-like eyes. Blue Topaz on fire. That is what they looked like. He stretched beneath the huge body and opened his mouth for a kiss. His legs spread and rubbed the muscled hips. He wanted Garren to take him. His body burned, his cock throbbed. 

"I'm coming for you, pretty cat," Garren growled in his ear. 

"Oh yes, oh yes, please... Garren!" 

Alex woke with a start, his cock a throbbing reminder of his shameful lust. Fox stirred on top of him. 

"W-what? Hmm, Alex?" Fox yawned sleepily. 

Alex flushed with shame and held tight to Fox. "Nothing, baby. Go back to sleep," he whispered soothingly. Skinner was no longer in the room, and for that Alex was grateful. Fox cuddled even more closely to Alex and fell back into sleep. Alex shut his eyes and tried to forget how beautiful those blue eyes gleamed. He hated Garren. Why then did he burn for him? Why did he ache for him? 

"Don't take me from Fox," he pleaded quietly. "I couldn't bear it." He felt the burn of tears in his eyes. He couldn't lose Fox, not when Fox was the only thing he had worth living for. He kissed Fox's shoulder and shuddered. "Please don't take me from him." 

Skinner sensed Alex's turmoil and rushed back from the beach with a concerned frown. He entered the bedroom quietly, leaning over the bed to soothe the man. "What is it, Alex?" 

Alex looked up into the concerned face and whispered," Garren... he's coming for me, isn't he?" 

Skinner cocked his head and after a moment, he nodded. "I think he is. Don't worry, assassin, I won't let him take you. He's not strong enough." 

Alex looked doubtful. "He is stronger than you know." 

"Yes, very strong. But then, so am I. Rest now. Fox would be upset if you were worried. And we can't upset him, now can we?" 

The gentle tone soothed Alex and he shook his head, "No, no we can't. Skinner?" 

Skinner stroked Alex's brow, much like a father trying to get a child to sleep. "Yes, Alex?" 

"If it comes down to it, protect Fox. Please. Please don't let your possession of me come before your love of Fox... don't endanger him. If you can't protect us both, protect Fox." 

Skinner smiled. "But don't you see, Alex? I love you too. I don't know why or when, but I love you too. Now sleep. Garren and his pack will not succeed. I promise." 

Alex felt a warmth encase his heart at Skinner's words. The truth of them made him feel warm. He smiled and closed his eyes, holding on to Fox with sleepy strength. 

Skinner's face lost all tenderness, as he looked inward to see the threat to his family. 

* * *

**Foothills of The Sierra Nevada  
Auburn, California  
Day Four  
Hour 0545 **

Garren was momentarily startled when four pack members burst into flame around him. Encased in terrifying fire they still ran at his side before falling dead in their tracks. So. The gauntlet was thrown. The Ascendant would fight. So be it. He could not burn them all, and he could not burn Garren. Though compared to the original human populations the pack was sparse. But they numbered in the millions and if it came to war, then the bitches would breed. Not in the human way of one or two, but in the wolf way, in litters. 

* * *

**Cabins  
Fort Bragg, California  
Day Four  
Hour 0600 **

Skinner sat beside his two lovelies and smiled. Garren would keep coming, but the closer he came the more of his pack would burn. His mind turned back to the strange carcass he had found on the beach this morning. It had only small bits of flesh clinging to its skeleton, but its face was something from a horror book. It looked like the gargoyles from one of Mulder's cases. Something had devoured it and he resolved to keep his family from swimming until he could identify the culprit. It was something he missed. He had to know what he was fighting to keep them away. So far he had just been able to repel the things that had already attacked his people. He wondered what other surprises this world would bring. 

* * *

**Murdoch Family Estate  
Sirius  
Annapolis, Maryland  
Day Four  
Hour 1000 **

Murdoch was nearly set. His forces had aligned nicely, there was that war in Europe still, but he would not waste anymore time on that. He was impatient to reclaim his prince. Even his Fox-alikes and his changed beauties, as appealing as they were, were not enough for him. He wanted Foxling. It was unseemly that he go chasing after his errant prince so he waited for the schells to do their work. However, Skinner was powerful. It might take Murdoch himself to go fetch his prince. Skinner would be drained no doubt when Garren made his move. Ah Garren. The uncomfortable feeling he had that Garren might turn to Skinner and form an alliance made him shiver. Garren would have no need to from an alliance if Murdoch had Fox. Garren would want to please his mate, as was the way of the pack. If Alex wanted something, Garren would want to give it to him. And what would the little cat want, if not Fox? If Murdoch had Fox, Garren would bring Alex to him. 

The women came in. There were four, always four in a coven. They moved like smoke, their bodies almost too pleasing. He smiled, knowing their true appearance. 

"You bade us come to you, master?" The witches chorused, their voices inseparable in their uniformity. 

"Yes." 

"What do you wish of us, master?" They asked, heads bowed. 

"I wish for my prince to love me. Can you make him love me?" 

The witches were silent and he frowned. "Well?" 

"We know nothing of love." 

"I don't want _you_ to love me, only my prince, hags!" Murdoch spat out. 

"We can make him lust, or hate or fear, master. We can make him covet and crave, but love we cannot know," they said. 

Murdoch sighed. Love was what he wanted. Lust he could created himself. "Covet and crave?" He mused. "Yes, make him crave me... bring him to his knees with lust for me," he smiled. "He will come willing to my leash then." 

"As you wish, master," the witches said before leaving his presence. 

* * *

**Cabins  
Fort Bragg, California  
Day Four  
0830 **

The woman stepped off her bike and smiled sweetly at Skinner as he watched Fox and Alex look through the helicopter, chatting comfortably with one another. 

"I thought you three would like some fresh muffins," she said, untying a basket from the rack on the bike. "They're still warm," she promised. 

Skinner studied her carefully. There was something not right about her. Her eyes kept flickering toward his family and he stepped between them and her. 

"Thank you, and you are?" 

"I am called Sera. I live in Fort Bragg with my husband, James. We are both so grateful to you for ridding us of all those terrible creatures. This is the least I could do," she said in a shy voice. 

Skinner took the muffins, his eyes locking with her gentle brown eyes. They were almond shaped and beautiful, but he was wary for some reason. 

Fox, ever a sucker for food he didn't have to cook came trotting over, leaving Alex to search the helicopter for whatever they were looking for. 

"Hi, are these for us?" he asked, smiling at the tall woman. 

"Of course. For you all," she murmured. 

Alex let out a shout of success. "I found it, Fox! It was under the seat." He waved the small package at Fox who was too busy looking in the basket. He jogged over to his lover and waved the package under his nose, and then he recognized the woman. He frowned and pulled Fox away from her with careful movements. 

"I am so pleased to meet you," she said looking straight into his eyes. Her eyes changed slightly, amber glowing beneath long lashes. "Are you well?" She asked. 

He looked to Skinner and cleared his throat, not knowing why the woman disturbed him. 

Mulder pulled out of Alex's grip and went back to rooting through the basket. "Oh, banana! You are so wonderful!" He exclaimed and reached out to touch her arm. He was surprised when Alex grabbed his hand and pulled it back. 

"We have to go back to the cabin now, but it was nice to meet you. C'mon, baby." Alex said quickly. 

"Alex! Why are you... ?" 

"Go on, Fox," Skinner commanded. 

Fox set his mouth in a determined way. "I am sorry that they are being so rude. My name is Mulder. Nice to... hey!" 

Alex pulled Fox away and toward the cabin. Fox really had no instincts at all! 

"Krycek, I swear if you don't stop pulling me around, I'm going to hit you!" Fox swore angrily. 

Alex looked over his shoulder at the woman. He pulled Fox closer to him and left her to Skinner. 

The woman made a small whining sound and Skinner stared hard at her. "You had better go now," he warned. 

She looked at him for a moment and then back to his family. Her eyes were a bright amber now and there was no fear in them, only a strange contempt and Skinner felt his instincts explode. He let her feel his impatience and she whimpered, clearly wanting to leave, but unable to do so until the door to the cabin closed behind Alex and Fox. She turned a quick look on Skinner and her eyes lost their contempt to be replaced by fear. She ran, abandoning her bike. He watched as she disappeared, amazed at her speed. 

Inside the cabin Fox was berating Alex, while Alex tried to soothe his ruffled feathers. 

"Don't even talk to me, Krycek," Fox declared as Skinner entered. Fox plopped on the couch and stared at his muffin. 

"Alex was only trying to protect you, Fox, you shouldn't upset him with your tantrums," Skinner scolded as he patted Alex soothingly. 

Fox glared, pouted, and ignored them both. 

"Baby, she was..." 

"A nice lady who baked us muffins," Fox finished angrily. "Don't talk to me." 

Skinner had to grin. Fox could shake up Alex like nothing else he would bet. Just Fox being angry with him agitated the assassin. 

"She wasn't a nice lady, Fox. I don't know what she was, but Alex was right to be wary. I am surprised that you, a trained agent couldn't feel that," Skinner said gruffly. 

Fox rolled his eyes. "And they call _me_ paranoid?" 

Alex slumped in a chair across from his lover. "She looked at me like she knew me." 

"Yeah? Well, she probably saw you last night," Fox snapped. 

"No! Like she _knew_ me. Well," Alex insisted. 

"She probably regrets it," Fox spat. At Alex's hurt look he immediately felt contrite. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that at all, Alex. You just make me so mad. I am not a child. I don't like being treated as one." 

"What did you find in the helicopter," Walter asked, changing the subject. 

Alex tossed the package to Skinner. "Someone gave this to me to give to Fox. He said something about giving it to his friend... that nothing would ruin their chances more than... uh... me being hurt. And the thing... uh helping me said I was the 'mate' or something like this. And I suppose it meant me as it was to give the package to Fox." 

Skinner frowned. "What thing are you talking about?" 

"Something came in me... anyway there is the package," Alex said abruptly. He really didn't want to talk about any of it. 

Skinner nodded and opened the small parcel. He raised a brow as two medallions on short strips of black leather were revealed. Both medallions were of sterling silver inlaid with neilo. The black color of the neilo alloy filled in the intricate design. 

"It looks like a depiction of some sort of deity. Here, Fox, take a look," Skinner offered. 

Mulder took the medallions and studied them. He shook his head. "I don't know. It looks Eastern, but I can't be certain. If I had access to a database or books... Isn't there a library in the town?" 

Skinner nodded. 

"It probably doesn't have what I need, but I'll give it a go." Despite his casual tone, Mulder was thrilled to be on a case again. 

Alex sighed heavily. "Oh joy, the library!" 

Skinner grinned. "You aren't going to the library, Alex. You are going to help me organize..." 

"I am going to stay with Fox. This is your deal. Incase you haven't noticed, it's not exactly a safe world, Skinner," Alex said darkly. 

Skinner raised a brow. 

"Alex, I will be fine. I'll be in a library. These people need to get all the dead buried and all the cars off the roads, and... all sorts of things. You go help Walter," Mulder insisted. 

"No way. I'm staying with you and that is my final word on it," Alex bit out. 

* * *

**Public Library  
Fort Bragg, California  
Day Four  
1700 **

Hours later Mulder worked alone in the library. Alex was off doing some work with Skinner. He smiled, remembering that argument. Skinner had won in the end, of course. 

He had found some literature on ancient deities, but nothing that matched the medallions. He was so intent on his study that he didn't notice the three men who entered the reference room in which he worked. He chewed on the end of his pencil as he flipped through the glossy pages of a book on Mythology. 

"I bet you are wishing that pencil was something else, pretty boy, " a rough voice purred behind him. 

Mulder jerked in surprise and then slowly took the pencil out of his mouth and took off the glasses he had liberated from the pharmacy. He stared at the three men. All of them were dressed in jeans and T-shirts. One had a San Jose Sharks baseball cap. Mulder thought it interesting that all of them seemed to be so completely agitated. 

"Can I help you?" he asked in a faintly amused tone. 

"Oh, I think you can." The Shark fan grinned. "You see, we noticed you last night." 

"Yeah, you and your pretty friend were getting pretty hot and heavy there. I think that makes you a homosexual," another of the bright trio purred. 

"Is that right? So?" Mulder was more than a little irritated. After all he had experienced, homophobes was the last thing he needed. 

"So we figured all you girly boys want all the dick you can get, and we thought we'd give a real memorable time," the third and biggest growled out. 

In truth all three men were confused and not a little angry at their attraction to the pretty man. They were true blue heterosexuals, to the last. But, this man was something different. He smelled good, he looked good, he was supposed to be fucked. He was supposed to open his mouth and suck any dick that pointed at him. Why they thought that way had been something of conversation among them and several of their friends. After a night of jerking off to the vision of violating this man, they had decided to take advantage of him being here all alone. And looking so pretty too. 

Fox stood, his icy stare fixed on the three men. "You figured wrong." He picked up one thick book, slid the medallions into his suit pocket and made to move past them. When he was grabbed by two of the men, he swung the book and knocked one off immediately. He fought off the next only to have the third grab him from behind. When his crotch was grabbed and squeezed he cried out in pain but kicked the man in front of him and slammed his head back into the man's face, breaking his hold. He lunged away and put the table between he and his unlikely attackers. 

"You just stop fighting, boy. You are going to be spread out and fucked and there is nothing you can do about it," the Shark fan hissed, rubbing at his bleeding nose. One of his friends was just now getting off the floor, holding his crotch where Fox's kick had connected painfully. 

"I think I am doing quite well, thank you," Fox said in a sarcastic tone that infuriated the men. 

He wasn't supposed to be a fighter. He was a girly boy. Girly boys weren't fighters! It was all wrong. He should be begging for them to gentle, to not hurt him! 

"Oh, boy you are going to get it but good!" 

"Okay, you three just m-move away... back I mean. Move back!" 

All four combatants turned to see Byers standing, holding a small black box, which he pointed at the three men. "Okay, now you three back off, or I'll use this on you," he threatened in a shaky voice. 

"What in the hell?" 

"I wouldn't make him nervous... that thing is dangerous," Mulder panted. 

The three looked dubious. 

"That's right. I got it from Skinner himself... for protection. Now get out!" Byers managed to squeak. 

The mention of Skinner made the men pause. One man pointed a finger in Fox's direction. "You're gonna regret this, boy. We would have been gentle. _Next_ time we won't be so nice." The men sidled past Byers carefully as he kept the box trained on them. 

When they had gone, Byers rushed over to Mulder. "Mulder, are you okay? Did they hurt you?" 

Mulder smiled. "Oh yeah I'm fine. But what is that?" 

Byers shrugged. "A remote control. I got it out in the audio-visual room. I didn't have any other weapon so I figured... bluff you know?" 

Mulder slapped Byers on the shoulder. "Great job, Byers. I wasn't looking forward to a long drawn out brawl." 

Byers nodded and sat in a chair. "What in the hell is going on anyway?" 

Mulder frowned. "I don't know. C'mon let's get back to the cabins, it's getting late." He helped Byers to his feet and picked up his discarded books. "Better take that super-spasmic laser job... just in case we run into trouble of course." 

Byers grinned weakly. "Yeah, well you softened them up for me. You had them pretty good huh?" 

Mulder shrugged, "I can tell you that three against one is never my favorite type of fight." 

"But you had them all bloodied up. Your suit is just messed up. Not a scratch on you," Byers insisted. 

"Great. Do you think you can tell that to Alex?" 

Byers paled. "Me? Talk to Alex? Uh, well... why?" 

"Never mind, Byers. C'mon." 

They walked out of the library and Fox sighed as he saw Alex walking toward him. When Alex saw the state of Mulder's attire his face filled with rage. Byers slid behind Mulder with a soft cry of trepidation. Alex grabbed Mulder by the arms and stared hard at him, looking him over with burning eyes. 

"What happened?" 

"Oh, would you believe that Byers and I got bored in the library and decided to wrestle?" Fox tried hopefully. 

"Is that right?" Alex ground out. 

"Yes, library work can really be dull," Fox quipped. 

"Uh huh." Alex turned his green eyes on Byers. "Is that what happened, Byers? Did you do this?" 

Byers gasped. "No! I mean, yes. I mean... Mulder!" 

"Leave him alone, Alex, I'm hungry and tired. You don't have to know everything," Fox sighed. "Everything is fine. Byers and I handled it. All by ourselves." 

"Yes, that's right we did. And really he was great. I mean all three of them, and he was fighting them off like a real pro," Byers enthused. 

"Byers!" Mulder growled. 

"Three homophobes is all," Fox shrugged. 

"Oh no, I think they wanted you, you know sexually," Byers corrected. 

"Byers!" Mulder hissed. 

"What?" Byers asked utterly confused. 

"Oh look! There's Skinner," Fox said quickly and dashed toward the big man. 

* * *

**Cabins  
Fort Bragg, California  
Day Four  
2030 **

Skinner had tried to convince Alex to calm down, had reminded him that Mulder was a trained agent who could handle most situations, but Alex was implacable. He had pronounced that he was going to stay with Fox every minute of every day and nothing Skinner said would change his mind. That Mulder wasn't hurt was just luck according to Alex. This last infuriated Fox and Skinner had left the two to their argument. He took a walk on the beach. It was time to move on. Instead of going to every small town first, he would go straight to San Francisco. There he would stay. His fighting companions would have to work out their own differences. Aside from controlling them there was nothing he could do to get Alex to give Mulder any credit at all. He sighed. Those two were so passionate in their argument that he had developed a headache. The sun was sliding into the sea and his gaze locked on a huge rock formation that rose out of the surf. 

Mulder was tired of arguing. Alex was unreasonable. He just kept staring at Mulder and saying, "Forget it, Fox." It was irritating. Mulder changed into a pair of jeans and thin, blue sweater. Alex was distracted by the way the sweater formed to Fox's body. The way the thin fabric displayed the small points of Fox's nipples. However, when he would have made a move to show his appreciation, Fox growled at him and said he was going out to find Skinner. 

"If that is okay with you, of course," Mulder growled. 

Alex nodded curtly and watched as Fox stormed out. He didn't care. Three men had tried to rape Mulder today. So what if he was a trained agent. Alex didn't even want anyone to get close enough to try. Skinner wouldn't let him go hunting the bastards either. He would though. He was well aware of how the people of this town reacted to he, Scully and the Gunmen. Several times during the day all of them had been hit on, but most people stayed away from Alex after he broke three fingers on a hand that had grabbed at his ass. Whatever had happened had changed them all. If some retired marine could be compelled to touch Langly's hair and liken it to spun gold then Mulder wasn't safe walking around unprotected. 

Mulder didn't bother to go look for Skinner. He walked into the shadowed forest. It wasn't that he didn't understand Alex's protectiveness, that wasn't what angered him, it was his lack of faith in Mulder's ability to take care of himself. How long had he been an agent? He'd been in horrible situations and come out relatively fine. After walking for ten minutes he picked up a pinecone and threw it toward a strange, gray rock. He stopped in surprise when the gray rock moved. He backpedaled with his eyes wide as the thing stood. It was not a large creature but it had huge wings and carnivorous teeth. Before he could turn to run it launched itself at him. He dodged behind a tree to escape its charge. He saw it fly past and saw its spindly legs and powerful, taloned arms. Suddenly the sky was filled with gray creatures swooping down from the treetops. As he watched several of the beasts began to fight in mid-air. Large wings flapped around him and he screamed. 

Skinner walked back into the cabin to see Alex alone. "Where is he?" he asked quietly. 

Alex's eyes widened and then narrowed. "Dammit! He was supposed to be with you. Damn him. He just won't listen," Alex said angrily as he jumped up. He expected Skinner to try and defend Fox, but instead Skinner stiffened. Alex watched as Skinner paled and drew back as his soft, brown eyes flared red. His heart dropped as Skinner turned and raced out of the cabin. Alex followed him, his heart beating wildly. 

Mulder fought off the creatures as best as he could but he felt his feet being lifted off the soft forest floor. The creatures were attacking each other and pulling at him painfully, as they fought over him. He hooked his foot on an exposed root and screamed as the creatures tried to shake him loose. Suddenly a terrible growling cut through the high-pitched shrieking of the gargoyle-like creatures. Fox fell to the earth as white blood covered him. He saw hair and teeth and massive, clawed hands. A wolf was attacking the creatures, ripping them apart with incredible ferocity and strength. Another gray creature grabbed at him as six slain winged creatures fell to the earth in bloodied lumps. It was lifting him, jabbering madly, but the wolf tore it off him and tore it in half with one bite. Mulder's eyes met the wolf's; they were a Siberian blue. 

"Run, Prince," it commanded. 

Mulder was so stunned that a wolf would talk that he froze as three of the flying creatures attacked the wolf. 

"Run!" It shouted again, tearing off the little creatures and tearing them apart. "Run to, Skinner." 

Mulder didn't need to be told three times and he scrambled to his feet and ran. 

Alex and Skinner heard the horrible sounds, the high-pitched shrieks and then Mulder's scream. They ran wildly, leaping over rocks, downed trees and deep holes. When a fierce growling joined in the melee they ran faster. 

* * *

Outstanding Skinner AU   
Honorable mention   


09/15/99   
RATING: Very NC-17   
SPOILERS: Probably, but do you care?   
SUMMARY: Alternate Universe After the events of The Changing, the world is ruled by magic and Mulder has to learn to find a role for himself in the new paradigm.   
WARNING: Sexual Assault, Angst, explicit sex (consensual and non-consensual) between hot men, magic, and B&D. If that isn't your thing or you are below the age of consent. DO NOT READ!!!!!!!!!! My Krycek has two arms and he's going to keep them thank you.   
DISCLAIMER: They aren't mine. They belong to CC and 1013 Productions. I don't make any money...wouldn't take it if I could, just borrowing, you can have them back.   
FEEDBACK: Please and thank you. [email removed]   
Website if applicable: [ http://www.slashingmulder.com/Author_N.htm](http://www.slashingmulder.com/Author_N.htm)   
DEDICATED TO: Megaera for reminding me that the supernatural exists beyond the written word, (but mostly near her home) Thanks to JoB, Cerulean and Michael for their beta and _delicious_ ideas...keep 'em coming love.   
---


	4. Secrets of Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Universe After the events of The Changing, the world is ruled by magic and Mulder has to learn to find a role for himself in the new paradigm.

  
**Chapter Four  
Secrets of Desire**

_"It used to be the fun was in  
The capture and kill.  
In another place and time  
I did it all for thrills.  
Lust to love  
Was the last thing I was dreaming of  
And now all I want is just to love.  
Lust turned to love."  
"Lust to Love" _

Go-Go's 

**Fort Bragg, California  
Day Four   
2045**

Mulder heard both Walter and Alex screaming his name and he veered toward their voices. He could hear the wolf still attacking the winged creatures and yet the sharp sound of wings overhead alerted him to more of the creatures above him. Clawed hands grabbed his shoulders and began to tug him up. His feet were off the ground and the creature made a high-pitched sound of triumph as it began to lift Mulder higher. Mulder struggled for freedom and another creature grabbed him to try and lift him away from the first. Slashing claws came up as the two fought and Mulder barely missed having his face gouged. He saw a brief flash of Skinner and Alex rushing toward him in the dark through the flapping wings, before Alex leapt at him and grabbed his legs to pull him back down. The deepening twilight was illuminated as the creatures began to burn. 

They burned slower than had the spider things on the beach, and took more energy to destroy, Skinner found as he downed four out of the dozens still filling the sky. He could sense the wolf, recognized him as the one who had taken Alex. What confused him was that the creature was killing the flying creatures with quick skill and in so doing, was helping Skinner protect his lovers. He brought down still more flying creatures as Alex and Fox struggled with the two fighting over Fox. Skinner concentrated on one of the things and it screamed as it was batted away from Fox. 

Alex was able to get Fox back to the ground but the remaining creature turned on him with furious venom. It launched itself at him with teeth bared and claws slashing. Alex jumped back from it, but its claws scraped over his chest and he cried out. Fox tackled the creature and pinned it beneath him before it could make another run at Alex. He saw ten creatures swarming around Skinner and he cried out his name. Fox wanted to rush over and help Skinner until the wings shifted around Skinner and he saw the smile on his face and the glowing red eyes. He was enjoying this, Fox realized. He was enjoying the battle. In the second that he watched three of the ten rose high into the sky, trailing orange flames like a deadly banner, shrieking and batting their wings frantically. Another simply dissolved. 

Fox was brought out of himself as Alex cried out in pain again. Another creature had tackled him and was trying to bite his throat. Before Fox could go to his aid there was a terrible sound that raised every hair on Fox's body. The creature was torn off Alex and literally torn apart by the massive wolf man. The wolf sniffed at the air, its eyes burning, its teeth covered with bits of flesh. It was so huge that it took up Mulder's full view. It seemed to smell something that angered it further and it leaped at Mulder and the creature he still held beneath him. Mulder cried out in fear as the beast descended on him and he let the creature go to roll out of the way. He gained his feet and back-pedaled quickly as the wolf pinned the creature under one massive paw and bent to smell the creature's claw which was stained with Alex's blood. Mulder watched amazed as it furiously shredded the creature, reducing it to small lumps of flesh and pieces of bone in less than a minute. 

When he was grabbed and tugged on he turned to fight, until he realized it was Alex trying to pull him away from the melee. "Alex, what are they?" He cried out as two more dove around their heads. 

"Fuck if I know," Alex gasped out, breathing heavily. "Baby, we have to run," Alex urged. 

The wolf grabbed Alex before he could lead Fox away, and Alex cried out in anger as he was forced away from Fox, leaving him unprotected and vulnerable. He was pushed to the ground and covered by the massive wolf, just as his body recognized him. Garren. He heard Fox scream and he struggled to go to him, furious that Garren would keep him from protecting Fox. 

Garren kept his body firmly pressed to his cat's. The Ascendant could fight off the rest; he was focussed solely on protecting his mate. He could still scent Alex's blood and it enraged him. His cat was struggling to go to the prince, but Garren would not let him. While the Schell would only abduct the prince, they would kill his mate. The Schell were completely un-sexual creatures and they wouldn't care how beautiful Alex was or how intoxicating he smelled... they would only want to serve Murdoch. His little cat struggled even harder as the prince screamed out his name. There was a desperation in that voice that Alex responded to. He couldn't get free of Garren, but Garren was impressed by his cat's strength. 

"Fox! Dammit, let me go!" Alex shouted. "Fox!" Alex couldn't move, his body was covered by Garren's changed form. He heard Fox crying out to him and he screamed out his frustration at being unable to go to him. This was almost the worst thing Garren had done to him. Leaving Fox vulnerable to attack and then forcing Alex to listen to his cries. It was maddening. 

The sounds of the Schell screaming and the wings beating overhead blended with the prince's cries and Garren held tighter still to his mate. "Skinner will protect him, cat," Garren soothed as best he could. He grimaced as the prince was knocked down and covered by a shrieking Schell, the lovely body being grabbed and lifted. Surely Alex could understand that it was Garren's responsibility to protect him. His claws hooked into a Schell that flew too close and it was immediately disemboweled. It fell, twitching to the ground and with a sweep of its own claws it swiped at Garren, its claws sweeping too close to Alex's face. Garren lunged forward with a terrible growl and bit the creature's head off, keeping a tight hold on Alex throughout. He could see that Skinner had taken care of most of the Schell and was standing next to the beautiful prince, his strong arms holding Fox to his chest. "Cat, Fox is safe, stop your thrashing," he growled out, the words broken upon razor-sharp teeth. He was impressed by the ascendant's strength. Surely as strong as Murdoch. Murdoch's advantage being his ability to control most of the creatures from the other places. And that advantage was enormous. He could smell the ascendant's exhaustion, and while he would not move to aid him and risk his mate's life, he knew Alex would be destroyed were the Schells able to complete their task and abduct the prince. He called his pack to him and they came, shifting into their wolf form despite their fear of the ascendant. 

Skinner knew he was slowing losing strength. He had killed many dozens of the creatures and mortally wounded still a dozen more, but they kept coming from the sky, easily thirty more. He held tight to Fox as he concentrated on destroying them. Each kill was easier to do, once he had figured out how to kill them, but as he weakened it became harder to focus. He screamed in rage as he refused to acknowledge any defeat and ten more winged demons fell to the ground and dissolved. Fox was struggling against him and he knew that had everything to do with Alex being held by Garren. When he sensed the hundreds of wolves descend on him he thought for a moment to simply disappear with Fox, going to the side of one of the Gunmen or to Scully, but he would not leave Alex, he couldn't. When the wolves came, they surprised Skinner by tearing madly at the remaining Schell. 

It was over in mere minutes. The Schell lay dead and the wolves circled, eyeing him warily. As suddenly as they had appeared the wolves abruptly faded back into the woods, many regaining human form as they disappeared into the darkness. He loosened his hold on Fox who immediately ran toward Alex and the great wolf holding him. He stopped Fox with a tired hold and Fox froze. Skinner moved to encircle him with his strong arms and used his remaining strength to push the wolf away from Alex. The wolf growled angrily and stood as Alex scrambled toward Fox and Skinner. Skinner let Fox go and kept his stare on the wolf as both Fox and Alex inspected one another, whispering little words of comfort as they touched each other solemnly. 

"You have exactly one minute to leave," Skinner breathed trying to remain standing. 

The wolf chuckled and changed into his human form. "You can't fight me, Skinner. You are weak and tired and my pack roams close, they will come despite their fear of your presence... and they _will_ attack you. I am here for my mate, and I will not leave without him." 

Skinner was stunned anew at the beauty of this creature. He towered over Skinner and his body was as powerfully built as any Skinner had ever seen. Shoulder length, golden hair fell on massive shoulders and his face was almost too beautiful to be real. Topaz blue eyes, wide and yet almond-shaped burned with intensity and full, pink lips were turned up in a mocking smile. Blood seeped red down Garren's narrow waist mingling with the white of the Schell's and his long, muscled thighs were covered with gashes from the winged creatures' attack. 

"Cat, come to me," he whispered and Alex's head snapped up. 

"I'll kill you first," Fox shouted, holding tight to his lover. 

Suddenly Alex gasped and pulled away from Fox. "You're hurt!" he cried as he went to Garren. Fox and Skinner both stood with mouths agape as Garren allowed Alex to touch his wounds, a tender smile on his face. More surprising was Garren's tender touches on the blood-soaked shirt covering Alex's chest. The look on his face caught between unholy fury and almost painful tenderness, illuminated by the still burning corpses of the Schell. 

"Alex?" Fox questioned. 

Alex turned back to Fox and a cloud of confusion crept over his features. "He's hurt, Fox... I can't... we can't just let him bleed." 

"He's left many a person to bleed, Alex," Skinner growled. 

Alex jerked back at that, but said nothing. 

Garren caressed the little cat's face and was about to assure him that the wounds were superficial, that they would heal rapidly, but he stopped himself and forced himself to sway a bit as if weakened. He hid a smile as Alex steadied him. 

Alex stared at Fox, his eyes begging Fox to understand. Fox's eyes were wide and yet in the flickering darkness Alex could not read his expression. 

Fox turned away and went in to Skinner's arms and was wrapped in the tender warmth of Skinner's embrace. "Let him help him, Walter. He did save me from those things," Fox whispered. His heart felt as if it were being compressed by some cold vice and he looked up into Walter's steady gaze. Red fire still burned in those intense eyes and yet in ways Fox cared not to understand, that redness at once comforted him and thrilled him. 

"He is also the one who stole Alex and raped him, Fox," Skinner hissed. 

Fox knew it without being told. And that the man... wolf... was so beautiful made Alex's unresolved feelings even clearer. How could he compete with that? "I know," he said quietly. 

"Fox, baby..." Alex began, but Fox just nudged Skinner away, not looking at Alex again. Alex backed away from Garren, a tight expression on his face. "C'mon, I'll look at these wounds and then you are leaving _without_ me." He turned, hurrying to catch up with Fox and Skinner. He could see the faintly red glow of Skinner's eyes and he was strangely comforted by that symbol of Skinner's strength. 

Garren hid a smile. His mate was so naïve. How could he not know that Garren would never leave him? He let his pack move further away from the ascendant and followed his cat to the cabins. 

Skinner kept turning to glare at Garren and to give Alex small, confused glances. It was utterly black but he could see perfectly as did Garren. He saw Garren carefully guide Alex over obstacles, much as he was doing with Fox and he fumed. Alex was his and once the wolf was tended to he would force him to leave. When the cabins came into view, the little yellow lights coming from the window, Fox pulled away from him and hurried inside. Skinner stood in the doorway and hesitated before letting Garren in. 

"When you are tended you will leave," he growled. 

Alex paused to run a soothing hand down Skinner's arm. "Don't worry, Skinner, he will." 

Skinner looked Alex over, his eyes warm and brown once more. "Have Fox tend to you first, Alex, I won't have you waiting on him as you bleed." Skinner noted Garren's narrowing eyes and he could only pray that his full strength would return soon. 

Fox stared at Garren for a few moments before he placed a hand on Alex's arm. "C'mon, Alex, let me see these," he said indicating the scratches on Alex's chest. White blood and bits of flesh still clung to Fox, a grisly reminder of the dead things in the forest. Skinner and Garren squared off uneasily as Fox led Alex to the kitchen. 

Fox wouldn't meet his eyes as he removed the ruined shirt. Alex pursed his lips, determined to hurry this along so that he could talk to Fox and smooth things over. He would be damned if he let this... this feeling of attachment to Garren ruin what he had with Fox. Nothing would ever come between them. He wouldn't allow it. Fox hissed and made small distressed sounds when he uncovered the three gashes. Alex looked down at his wounds and then back up at Fox. "They aren't as bad as they look, baby," he murmured. He lifted one hand to Fox's gore streaked face. "You have to clean up too." 

Fox nodded, still keeping his eyes from Alex. He wet a cloth and began to gently wash away Alex's blood, finding that Alex's prediction of their seriousness to be true. 

"Baby, why won't you look at me?" Alex stilled Fox's hands. And when those eyes lifted to his they were filled with a lost look. 

"I know you want to go with him... I can't..." 

"You think I'd leave you?" Alex was truly stunned. That there was something that drew him to Garren was undeniable, but he loved Fox with all his soul, with everything that he was. 

Fox nodded. It made Alex angry that Fox would think so little of his love. He was still Krycek, the Rat, the bastard who couldn't be trusted. When he would have said something hurtful, he saw the pleading in Fox's eyes. He stroked Fox's face. "Do you really? Do you really think so little of me, baby?" 

Fox suddenly embraced him and kissed his neck. "No! I am just... he's so beautiful..." 

Alex pushed Fox back gently. "I am going to see to his wounds... and then he's leaving. Skinner won't let him stay. Don't worry about it. He'd have to kill me to keep me," Alex whispered. 

"Fox, go clean up," Skinner said as he and Garren entered the kitchen. There was a palpable tension between the two powerful men. 

Fox frowned. "I'm not leaving..." 

"Go take a shower, baby. I promise it will be okay," Alex soothed as he stood. His eyes met Garren's briefly and those blue eyes promised so much. He shivered with the desire to rub up against the big body, he thrilled to the possessive stare and his fists curled in frustration. What was happening to him? If Fox knew how the bastard was affecting him he would be hurt, maybe even enough to push Alex away and turn his affection to Skinner alone. That thought infuriated him. He saw a flash of Fox curled up asleep on top of Skinner, long legs trapping Skinner, beautiful face snuggled into Skinner's neck. He felt sick, that was his position. He was the one Fox cuddled up to, no matter how much Skinner pleasured Fox or made him beg for more, when he slept, Fox made his preference known. Alex had the feeling that that wouldn't always be the way of it. He also felt that had Skinner revealed his feelings for Fox before Fox had given in to his lust that wonderful night, then Fox would be Skinner's and Alex would never have had a chance. 

Fox hesitated a moment before he walked quickly from the room. Garren admired the beauty as he passed, it wouldn't be a chore to tame his mate's lover. Those long legs, ripe lips, the ass that was made to be fucked... Garren grinned. The prince smelled so delicious that his organ stirred just from that sense alone. No wonder Murdoch was so driven to own him. 

Skinner wanted to follow after Fox, to make sure that he was unhurt, but he was completely unwilling to leave Alex alone with the wolf. He didn't trust him not to try and run off with him. 

Garren let himself be guided to a tiny chair and he settled his weight in it carefully, half expecting it to break. Alex was turning on the water and steam immediately announced the hot water. Ah yes, he thought, the convenience of having an ascendant around. He sighed in pleasure as Alex brought a bowl of water and a small cloth over to him and began to wash his body. His mate's jade eyes kept sliding down to Garren's naked loins and a small pink tongue darted out to wet suddenly dry lips. Garren smiled. He would have to find a way to introduce some more of his spore, perhaps a quick nip before Skinner could stop him. He was certain that his own scent would be attracting his mate as it was, but he wanted so much more. Their eyes met and Alex's were narrowed against his reaction to Garren. Garren had cause to curse his own regenerative powers as the wounds were already healing nicely. Alex was disconcerted by their insignificance given the amount of bleeding. Before Alex could move away, Garren grabbed his head and found the healing sore on Alex's neck. He bit it lightly feeling Alex's body grow rigid with anticipation as Garren tasted blood and licked the wound with hot, wet strokes of his tongue. He was pushed away and found Skinner staring over him with a furious expression on his face. He had dared to shove his mate behind him and Garren growled as he rose. It was one thing for the man to think he owned Alex, quite another thing to _act_ like it. 

Alex leaned against the wall as the two squared off. For all his bulk, Skinner seemed small next to Garren, but Alex knew Skinner could hold his own. He groaned as he felt the spore begin its work on his body. 

"Don't push me too far, thief, I will not allow..." Garren began. 

"You will not allow?" Skinner growled. "You aren't in any position to demand anything. I may be tired, but I am quite capable of dealing with you wolf!" 

Garren chuckled. "Even strong you would have troubles dealing with me and you know it." 

Skinner narrowed his eyes. Yes the wolf was strong. Far stronger than some of his brothers even, if in different ways. Physically Garren was formidable, but it was his position as leader of the pack that made him deadly. Skinner had to admit that he had been utterly astounded that the wolves had come so close to him. He felt their fear of him, but Garren had been telling the truth. Their fear would not keep them away if Garren commanded it. He could protect his family from them, but for how long? And how many wolves would Garren be able to summon. Immediately his new insight answered him. Millions. Why was it that Garren did not wish to take his place as an equal to Murdoch? Why had he served him? Alex's small moan grabbed his attention. He looked and saw that Alex was trembling and flushed. 

"What did you do to him?" He hissed at Garren. 

"Sk-skinner, please," Alex whispered. "Walter" 

Skinner went to him and without thinking he touched the bite mark. Pale pink light glowed from his hand for an instant and Alex's trembling subsided immediately. Garren was staring, unperturbed. The bonding would take place even without the more sexual aspect of the spore. 

"Leave now, wolf," Skinner barked. 

"No," was all Garren said, but there was implacable determination in his voice. 

"I'm going to Fox," Alex said unsteadily. His desire to wrap himself around Garren and beg to be fucked hard and fast had subsided, but still the man was drawing him in. He needed Fox. He wanted to bury his face in Fox's shoulder and be held tight. He could only hope that Fox would hold him, that he wouldn't push him away. 

"You aren't going anywhere, cat," Garren growled and Alex looked to Skinner in question. 

As Skinner turned his body to shield Alex the front door was opened and an old man walked in alone. Alex recognized him immediately as being the man who had given him the package containing the medallions. 

"You two will have to stop your fighting if we are to hold off the Ascendant," he said casually, as if everyone in the room should know him. "Only an alliance between the two of you can keep your mates safe from him. Do not kid yourself, Walter, once the Ascendant gets tired of waiting for his creatures to succeed in bringing his chosen to him, he will come for him himself. And then you will not be able to stop him. You think you are tired now after fighting off just a few of his minions? Think how tired you would be if he were to come himself! You are strong, yes. Stronger than we had any hope that you would be, but you are not his equal. Perhaps if it were just the two of you, one on one... _perhaps_ you could succeed, but he would not come alone." 

"Who the hell are you?" Skinner barked. There was something familiar about the old man, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. 

The old man ignored him. "For thousands of years, Garren has cleaved to Murdoch. For thousands of years Garren has found Murdoch after every rebirth and protected him from infancy to his death from all our attempts to keep him from his plans. The pack is more dangerous than any other single group that now roams this Earth, Walter. Only a very few of the monsters that hunt now are independent of the Ascendant. Most, like the Schell you fought tonight, will go to their deaths to obey him. You cannot stand alone. Your Fox and indeed Alex will be taken from you," the old man said quietly. He looked at Garren for a moment, but turned his attention back to Skinner. "You know what I say to be true, Walter. You _know_ it." 

"You gave me the package," Alex said. "Why? What are the medallions for?" 

Garren narrowed his eyes. The man knew his mate? What did he want from Alex? Before Skinner could move, Garren went to Alex's side. He wasn't worried about the ascendant's reaction, his movement was instinctual, defensive. 

"It is the greatest of gifts that the unholy alliance between the Ascendant and the Garren of the wolves has been torn. The greatest gift to this world, Walter," the old man said without answering Alex's question. A chair slid away from the table and made its way to the man's side and he settled down with a sigh. "Yes, that's better. I am too old and have had too much adventure lately to wait to be asked to sit." 

Alex gasped. Was everyone magic now? He moved closer to Garren without even realizing it. 

Skinner was too engrossed in the man's words to notice that small defection. He drew a deep breath. "You may have a point, but I have a responsibility to Alex. I will not let him be taken even to save myself," he said harshly. 

"And at the expense of Fox? And of all the people who even now flock to you for protection?" 

Skinner flinched, but raised his chin stubbornly. 

"Baku?" Fox asked from the doorway. He had only a small towel about his waist and was still dripping wet from the shower. 

The old man turned and smiled, "Ah, Agent Mulder, how nice to see you again!" 

"I don't understand, why are you here?" Mulder asked as he went to the old man. He saw Skinner's look of question and he explained briefly Baku's role in his and Scully's investigation into the Mediggo. 

Alex frowned, he didn't trust the man and Fox was standing right next to him. He moved away from Garren to stand closer to his lover. He looked to Skinner for guidance and received a small, comforting nod. 

"Oh, I am here to make sure things work out. You see, Fox, Murdoch knows his Schell have failed to take you and even now he is thinking of coming for you himself. Is that what you want?" 

Mulder gasped. He felt sick to his stomach. Those things had come from Murdoch? That Murdoch would forget him had been a desperate hope, but now it was shattered. 

"How dare you say that, you old bastard," Alex hissed wrapping his arms about Fox's waist. His eyes were aflame. 

Garren was surprised that he wasn't entirely disturbed that his cat was holding on to the prince. He would have torn him from any other. 

Skinner moved forward and placed a comforting hand on the side of Fox's face. "He will not succeed, Fox. I promise." 

"But he will. He _will_ succeed. He will bring you to his side and you will know true hell on earth as do all his slaves that look so much like you," Baku insisted. He knew that Fox was the pivotal character here. Both Skinner and Alex adored him and Garren... well Garren would want to please Alex. "You will be his concubine..." 

"Enough!" Skinner spat out. 

"I know you don't want to hear it, but you have to act _now_ or face the consequences. You succeeded in freeing Mulder the first time both because Murdoch had yet to ascend and that he was deeply involved in the last of the ritual sacrifices. You will not be able to rescue him again!" He looked deep into Mulder's eyes. "Remember his sling?" 

Fox gave a small, despairing cry and turned into Alex's embrace. He didn't want to remember any of it. "I remember," he hissed. 

"It ripens daily with your stand-ins." Baku was vehement in this. He knew what the others standing in this little, insignificant room did not. If Murdoch had enough time, he would woo Garren back to him and then no one would be safe. If his plans for at least a portion of the world remaining free were to come to fruition then Skinner had to form an alliance with Garren. He could not afford tact or tender mercies. 

Garren had enough of the old human upsetting Alex and he moved to kill him, changing as he did so. He was forced back by Skinner who glared at him and then the old man. 

"This is what you want me to ally with? Some beast that wants to tear out your throat?" 

Baku cleared his throat, "I want at least a small portion of the world to be safe, yes." 

Garren changed back and growled, "I am not a coddler of humans, old man. What makes you think I would turn against Murdoch? I serve him no more, that is true, but what makes you think that I would fight against him?" 

"You would help him? Knowing that he wants to destroy Fox?" Baku said cautiously, knowing that Garren would not care in the least, only caring what Alex thought. Cautious too in angering the creature further. He could only hope that Skinner would continue to protect him. 

"The prince is not my concern," he growled. At Alex's gasp, he frowned. "Well, perhaps I would not want to see him taken, but that does not translate into fighting my old master. I stood at his side for thousands of years..." 

"Yes and he plans on stealing your mate, using him to barter with you for your loyalty. Think you that he will treat your mate kindly?" Baku smiled slightly as Garren flushed with rage. 

Skinner was thinking. He knew Baku's words to be true, but Garren would never give Alex up. How could they form an alliance with Garren constantly after Alex? He gasped as he realized what the old man was suggesting. "Never!" he ground out. "I will never turn Alex over to be raped." 

Alex flashed him a small smile. Yet he wondered at that. Would it still be rape? Yes! No matter how he yearned to feel the thick slide of Garren's cock pounding him, relentless and so... he stopped those thoughts with a small glare at Garren. 

"Nor would I," Fox growled turning to face Baku once more. "I will never let him go!" 

"And I won't leave him," Alex said challengingly, staring at Garren. "I'll never leave Fox!" 

Baku sighed in frustration. Couldn't they understand? "Alex? Why would you struggle for something that will end up hurting Fox? Why can't you see that with the Garren by his side, Skinner will be unchallenged?" 

"Leave him alone," Skinner barked. "You have no right to try and make him feel guilty." 

Baku nodded. "You are right, but still, he would feel guilty. Especially when he remembers how Mulder was tied, spread to the bed for Murdoch's pleasure." 

Skinner grabbed the old man by his throat. "That was no more Alex's fault than mine! And if you think I won't kill you, you are mistaken. You come in, uninvited and torment my family! I should kill you where you stand." 

"And if he doesn't, I will," Garren seethed. The old bastard's words were tormenting his mate and he longed to sink his teeth into the soft flesh of the bastard's throat. 

"Walter, let him go," Fox said quietly. He shook his head as Alex made to protest. 

Skinner released the old man slowly, his eyes red and wild. "You and your prized wolf can leave right now! I am finished with you both. Alex and Fox have had enough trauma without any more." 

Baku nodded again. "Yes, but you know I speak the truth." He stood. "I and some of my followers... a group that Dr. Jane Reeves belonged to, Agent Mulder, so you know the Ascendant is our enemy, we are staying somewhere close by should either of you want to talk." He paused before leaving. "Agent Mulder, those medallions would have made it very difficult for the Schell to find you. It will help hide your changed nature from humans and hunters alike. You should wear it." 

"I would be most interested in meeting you and your followers," Garren said with a darkness in his tone that made the old man shudder. 

Mulder looked to Alex, but he saw that Alex was staring at Garren. There was something odd in that look. Something Mulder didn't recognize. It wasn't the disdain Alex usually had on his face for people. It wasn't the tense wariness that Alex reserved for anyone he deemed a potential threat. Mulder searched that lovely face for any sign of tenderness, anything that would indicate that Alex wanted to be in Garren's massive arms. Mulder took a moment to look over the nude male. He was unconcerned of his nudity. The body was so utterly perfect, the organ large even as it lay lazily on his thigh. Mulder hated him for his beauty as much as for taking Alex from him. He moved away from the group as Skinner escorted Baku to the door. 

"Fox?" Alex's voice was strained, tense. 

"I'm going to get dressed," Fox said quickly. He just wanted to be alone. He wondered where Scully was. He needed to see her, to connect with the one person who had always stood by him. She would know just what to say... she always knew what to say. He used to resent Scully for his need for her... his reliance on her. But he had accepted it long ago. She was his grounding force, no matter how trite that sounded. Alex touched his shoulder and the look on his face was familiar, tender, loving, those jade eyes so vulnerable. Fox managed a smile at that look. He only ever saw it on Alex's face when Alex was looking at him. Maybe Alex wouldn't leave him. It would be a first, but then so had Alex's love been a first. No one had ever loved him the way Alex did. His thoughts went to Skinner and he sighed impatient with his meandering thoughts. "I'm just going to get dressed." He dismissed Alex with his tone and Alex clenched his jaw. Mulder had to smile a bit at that. Alex was certainly easily angered. He went to the bedroom and sat on the bed. He heard Skinner talking to Baku and heard Alex saying something to Garren. There was a chill breeze coming through the broken window and he shivered. He stood to dress but something drew his attention to the night just outside the large window. A movement, a sliding sound. He pulled on a pair of Levi's and a sweater before finding his gun and moving toward the sound, his heart beating with anticipation of conflict. 

The young man standing outside smiled at him and put a hand to his lush, blood red lips. 

"Shhh, Fox, don't say a word. I want to tell you something," the man whispered. 

Fox felt his blood start to pound through his body and pool in his cock at the seductive tones. He nodded wordlessly and came closer to the window, the gun dropped forgotten on the floor. 

"Come closer," he whispered and Fox did, drawn inexorably toward the man. Such pale skin, such dark, long hair. It was the eyes that transfixed him, dark pools of ebony, endless, dark and beautiful. Living onyx. He wanted to touch that face, to taste those lips. 

"Yes, Fox, closer. Hurry," the voice was seduction, it demanded obedience and Fox was eager to obey, his cock throbbing slowly. A hand caressed his face, so cold and yet it burned. Fox moaned, moving his hips to give some small friction on his cock. He was drawn outside though he didn't realize he was outside until his bare feet curled against the cold of the damp earth. He moved to kiss the pretty mouth but the man moved further away. He frowned as he followed, only wanting to touch him. 

"Yes, love, come closer," he whispered as he moved further away from the light of the window, his beautiful prey following. When seductive night covered Fox with darkness, Mikhail stopped moving, letting Fox catch him. The full lips glistened as Fox ran his tongue over his lips in anticipation. Mikhail's body burned to claim him now, but that was not an option. The ascendant would not be distracted for long. He had to take Fox far away from here before he could plunder the beauty. 

Fox was running his hands up and down on Mikhail's chest, eyes dazed, small whimpers coming from his throat in husky need. Mikhail embraced him, their erections pressed hotly together, rubbing and aching to be released. "You want to be here, with me, you want nothing but that. I will take you away before Alex can leave you," he whispered and Fox trembled, his eyes wide and dazed. "Don't call out to Skinner, let me take you. Wrap your arms about me, love, I will take away all the hurt, all the fear." 

Fox was lost, he couldn't make sense of anything that was whispered only aware of the blood pulsing at his neck, at his groin. A hot tongue licked at the tender skin of his neck as he was lifted. His head lolling on his neck as he fell into a dream. Leathery wings beat slowly, stealthily as Mikhail claimed his lover. 

* * *

Garren was lost in his mate's scent and he drew Alex back toward him feeling the muscled body tense. He held firm when Alex would have moved away, bringing the tight body to his and kissing the top of the black head. "Are you in any pain, cat?" He whispered soothingly, gently squeezing the muscled shoulders. 

Alex wanted Garren to leave, wanted him to just walk out that door and leave without looking back. He caught himself rubbing back against Garren in a feline attempt to be stroked and his eyes opened wide. 

"Get off me, Garren!" He pulled away with effort only to be pulled around to face Garren as those topaz eyes looked him over solicitously. 

"I asked if you were in pain! I cannot help you if you do not open up..." 

"Aarrgh! Can you not understand? I am not yours to worry about! I am happy... for the first fucking time in my life I am happy just where I am!" He ran a hand through his thick hair and swatted at Garren's hand as he tried to touch Alex's face. "I won't be your toy! I have played the whore long enough. Never again." He glared as Garren just smiled at him. He gasped a bit as Garren moved toward him, and he found himself in the unfamiliar position of scrambling back away from an opponent. "Uh, Skinner!" he croaked out as he was drawn into an embrace that wasn't entirely odious. 

"Take your hands off him," Skinner growled. Garren was thrust back but he lunged forward again as Skinner pushed Alex away. 

"I should have let my pack destroy you, ascendant." 

"Yes, you should have," Skinner agreed. "But you are too late now, wolf, I'm not as tired as I was then." He smiled. "I think battle agrees with me," he chuckled darkly. 

"I'm going to find, Fox, you two just keep from tearing each other apart," Alex ground out, not knowing why he should care if Skinner flattened the bastard only knowing that he did. "Skinner, can we just play nice for a minute... keep him... you know... away from me, but I don't think Fox needs anymore turmoil tonight," he said firmly, almost believing his reasoning. As he approached the bedroom the hairs on the back of his neck began to raise and he slowed cautiously. Old survival habits commanding his movements as he paused before he remembered that Fox was in that room. He didn't know why his instincts were screaming at him in their insistent manner, only that there was something not _right_ somehow. He raced into the room, his tension breaking through both Skinner's and Garren's concentration on one another and they both turned to follow him. 

"Fox?" Alex shouted as he burst into the empty bedroom. The window was a gaping hole in the room. The curtains blew slightly with a breeze that seemed playful, secretive. He raced toward the window but was scooped into Garren's embrace and pulled back and out of the room. 

Garren smelled the enemy and he wanted his mate no where near it. He watched as Skinner realized what had happened, realized that the prince had been taken and that for the moment there was nothing he could do. Skinner was at the window and then he jumped through the frame calling out to the pretty prince. Alex surprised him and slipped from his grasp and followed Skinner outside. 

"Alex, if I have to tie you to me, I will," Garren growled as he came up behind Alex, his eyes searching the darkness for any sign of danger to his mate. 

Alex turned wide greed eyes to Garren, "Where is he? You can find him! You can track him..." He was desperate, frightened. The way Skinner stood rigid, unmoving as if he couldn't hear or see anything around him made him even more anxious. "Skinner! Stop just standing there... what is wrong with you? Fox is gone!" He knew somehow that Fox wasn't nearby, he could feel the distance between them growing. 

Garren could still scent the vampire, it was the same one that had tried to take his mate. He moved as close to Alex as he could but his eyes were on the ascendant. His eyes narrowed as Skinner locked on to Fox and prepared to go to him. He grabbed the man's arm and shook him. "Don't do it, Skinner," he managed to warn before Skinner threw him off. "You can't go to him now... don't you see?" Garren hissed. 

Skinner could feel Fox, could sense his arousal, his confusion, but too there was Fox's need for him and he would follow that. The wolf was speaking, trying to stop him from going. He should kill it. 

"Do you think you can fly, ascendant? You can't! If you go to him now you will kill him! Listen to me, Skinner," Garren spat furiously. He clenched his fists as Skinner began to fade. "You will bring him to the earth too fast! He won't survive." 

Alex was gaping and then, believing Garren, he clutched Skinner's arms, the flesh strangely malleable. "Skinner, stop. Listen to him," he urged. 

Skinner felt Fox's dreamlike pleasure and his blood burned. Alex was holding him back and he heard the panic in his voice. He shook his head. He couldn't leave Alex, but he had to go to Fox. When he would have grabbed Alex into his embrace to carry him with him the wolf roared and Skinner found himself sprawled on the ground and Garren dragging Alex quickly away. He was torn between wanting to follow Fox and wanting to go to Alex. 

"You will not take my mate to his death, foolish creature. Your lover is miles above the ground... can't you see anything? You are not fit to care for any changed human! If you go to the prince the enemy will have no choice but to release him! Are you listening? You cannot fly! And while you would survive, Fox would not." 

Skinner recoiled from the furious words. He could sense the cold surrounding Fox and knew Garren's words to be true. He stayed on the ground, kneeling, his hands fisted on his thighs. He lifted his head and screamed out Fox's name. And then he just screamed. 

Alex struggled to go to him, feeling strangely as if he should comfort the big man, but Garren wouldn't release him. "He's not going anywhere," he breathed, "Let me go." 

Garren frowned. He should just take his mate now. It was perfect. The ascendant could not track both Fox and Alex, but he wanted Alex with him forever, not just as a stolen prize from the powerful ascendant. True he could fight off the ascendant's attempts at reclaiming his mate, but at what cost? He had seen the man's strength and determination. Too he would have to contend with Alex's attempts to return to the man and the prince. Perhaps if Murdoch did own the prince it would be easier to keep Alex, if Garren would but return to Murdoch's side where he had been for several millennium. He frowned at that and let his mate go to the shaking ascendant. Murdoch was incapable of the emotions that even wolves had, tender emotions of love and concern. Though the lack of those emotions in his master had never bothered Garren before, the idea that the Ascendant's cruelty might harm his mate, either indirectly through too harsh of use of the beautiful prince, or directly. Garren had seen the lust in Murdoch 's eyes as he had looked upon his little cat. He knew too that Murdoch believed that one day Alex would come willingly to his bed. Garren's nostrils flared in anger remembering his mate's pain and abuse at the hands of Murdoch for even that short period of time. 

He watched reluctantly, pacing slightly, as the human ascendant gently brought Alex's hand to his lips and through his own pain of loss, try to comfort Alex. This one would never harm his mate, but he would not respect Garren's claim. He was torn. Though he was the dominant male and his wishes ostensibly ruled, he was bound by unfamiliar feelings of concern that came with taking a mate. He couldn't resist the instinctive urge to please his mate in more ways than just sexual pleasure. He shook his head trying to regain his equilibrium. It bothered him, to say the least, that he had not had his pack attack Skinner. He had been weakened, he may have even been destroyed by the attack. That he hadn't because he anticipated Alex's displeasure angered him... not with Alex... but with himself. All his existence he had done what he pleased. It pleased him to serve Murdoch, and it pleased him to see to it that the promised new world would come to pass, but now all that he was, all that he had ever been was at the mercy of one human... well it was disturbing. And that he had to pick this particular human. Alex was anything but easily led. 

He had to fight down the urge to drag his beauty away from Skinner. There was an opportunity here, one to get what he wanted, what was his without having to steal Alex away like some thief in the night. As he watched Skinner stand his thoughts went, oddly, to his litter mates. The brothers and sister that roamed the continents across the sea. That he would even think of his litter mates at this time served to convince him that Alex had put him into a tailspin. His lips curved into the closest thing to a pout as he had ever managed, he caught it and drew his lips taut over his perfect teeth, exasperated. 

Skinner stared at the still-nude Garren and he shook his head. He couldn't think about the presence of the wolf just now. It did seem that Garren wasn't going to run off with Alex, even Skinner had to admit that the pack could have probably done him some damage, had Garren ordered them to attack. Skinner didn't think he could be killed, but he could be hurt. He had to go after Fox. He sensed the nature of the thing that had taken Fox and it chilled him. Something old, perhaps not so old as Garren, but so different. Both were killers however. He couldn't forget that. 

"Alex, Fox will not be killed," Garren said softly as he watched Alex stare into the night. When Alex looked to him with wide eyes. Garren frowned at the fear there. "He won't be harmed, little cat," he tried to soothe. 

"What is it? What has taken him?" Alex's voice was shaky and yet there was a steel in his tone that spoke of his strength. 

"A vampire," Garren said. "You remember the river? The thing that tried to take you? It is the same creature." 

Skinner didn't respond to this information, he knew it already. He hadn't known that it had tried for Alex before, but it didn't surprise him in the least. 

Alex narrowed his eyes. The idea that that... thing... had his lover sickened him. He could see the red eyes, the long fingers, smell the scent of old death... the allure despite its true appearance. "What do we do?" He asked, his eyes moving from Garren to Skinner. 

"We go after him," Skinner answered immediately. "Go get your things..." 

"No. You can't take him with you, Skinner," Garren growled. 

"The hell he can't!" Alex hissed. 

"I am taking him..." 

"Do you want Fox back?" Garren asked. "You know that Alex will only slow you down, Skinner. You can travel faster without him, and you can worry only about getting to him, not about protecting Alex as well." 

Skinner didn't have time to argue. "He will not slow me, Garren. It is obvious that you only wish me to leave him so that you can molest him without me to protect him from you." 

"You can't bring Alex. Humans cannot travel the way you must if you are to get to your lover before he falls under the enemy's control. Vampires are a seductive breed it is true, but soon, Fox will forget you, forget you both and you have less time than you think, ascendant." Garren pushed a lock of hair out of his face. "You decide, ascendant, but if you try to take my mate, I will follow you and you will not go faster than he can travel." 

Alex shook his head as Skinner's eyes narrowed in concentration. "I can travel as fast as you, Skinner! I am not going to stay." 

Skinner could feel Alex's torment, but Garren was right. Alex would slow him down. "Alex, you can stay with Antonio..." 

"Antonio?" Alex spat. "You have to be kidding me! I am not in need of protection and I will just follow you anyway." 

Skinner looked into Garren's eyes and he saw nothing there but patience, patience learned through centuries of waiting. "I will hunt you, wolf, if you touch one hair on his head." Skinner couldn't look at Alex again as he sent out his thoughts to Antonio. He felt his brother's attention on him and he urged him to return to the cabins. He sent his thoughts, his fears for Fox and Antonio immediately rose from the bed he shared with Dana and shook her awake. Antonio was coming, but Skinner was only slightly relieved. He hated the idea as Antonio had made it perfectly clear how much he lusted for Alex, but he was not willing to let Fox go. Perhaps with the wolf to balance Antonio the two would fight over Alex, neither able to claim victory until he returned to his side. He pulled Alex close hearing the curses the young man threw at him for his planned abandonment. He kissed those sweet pink lips and let himself fade into the hunt. 

Alex didn't even see Skinner leave. One moment he was held in those strong arms the next he stood alone. The sounds of movement in the forest faded almost as quickly as a breeze passing through and he knew he would never have been able to keep pace. Still, it hurt. He had been left... again. 

Garren felt none of the victory he should have felt, here was his cat, alone and unprotected, he could have taken him then, but instead he just drew the pretty body to him and tried to give assurance. He knew nothing of real concern before this. Even when Murdoch had been a child so many times, and had ridden on Garren's shoulders or had tagged after him through endless countrysides and endless turmoil, Garren had not felt true concern. Murdoch had never been a child in any real sense. He had simply been living out existences, his soul the same throughout. Now Garren was faced with an enemy he couldn't tear asunder. Alex, like an untamed creature let himself be held just for a moment and then he tore himself free and went back inside. Garren followed, watching as Alex gathered some belongings and put them in a small bag. 

"What are you doing, Alex?" Garren asked, sitting on the large bed. 

"I am going after Fox. I may not be able to keep up with Skinner, I may not be a fucking _god_ but I am not going to sit here like some fucking prom queen while my lover is out there." 

"You can't find him, Alex. You can't hope to find him. Let Skinner find him and bring him back to you. There is nothing shameful in that. You are too much of a distraction and even I would not like to have you wandering the dark even were I with you. You have no idea how desirable, how beautiful you are do you?" 

Alex turned to him and there was such a sweet look on his face, but Garren smelled the fury beneath the angelic exterior. "I have been told how fucking beautiful I am by so many people in my life, Garren, that I am sick of it! I was taken from my family because I was told I was beautiful. I was raped and forced to become a pawn, because I was told I was beautiful. I was taken from an ordinary suburban life to become a killer because I was told I was _too_ beautiful to waste! Now you say I have no idea? Fuck you, Garren! My life didn't begin the moment you stole me. The only thing, the _only_ thing that is good in my life is out there!" He pointed to the guilty window and the night beyond. "And I am not going to sit back and wait for someone else to save him. I don't trust anyone else with him. I've seen what men with power do to men like Fox." 

Garren stared at Alex for a moment. "Alex, believe me when I say this. Had I known you earlier, I would have torn the men who used you asunder. I would have kept you from them." 

Alex laughed, a bitter sound. "Oh Jesus! You only want me because of this fucking change! I would have been meat to you before this. Don't pretend you feel some emotion for me that you don't," he growled. 

Garren frowned. "I chose you before you changed Alex. Perhaps you were changing already, but I chose you as my own the moment I saw you. I couldn't have scented your change, cat, you were but an image on a television screen. Had you not changed, had the ascendants not been born to change the world, I would have found you and taken you to me. And I would have killed your enemies... every one of them." 

Alex didn't care. He didn't want to know what image of himself Garren had seen. He didn't care that Garren was staring at him with such gorgeous intensity. He only cared about Fox. "You can lie all you want, Garren, but I am going." 

"I won't allow it," Garren said smoothly. "And I think you know that you cannot escape me." 

"I did it once," Alex hissed, throwing another pair of jeans in the bag carelessly. 

"I am focussed only on you now, cat. I don't have the demands of defending the Ascendant now. You cannot escape. 

Alex frowned. Garren had, more than once, called Skinner 'ascendant' and yet he referred to Murdoch as Ascendant as well. He narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean when you say, had the ascendants not been born to change the world. Ascendants. Plural. As in more than one." 

Garren tilted his head and his long hair slid over his broad shoulder like water. "Yes, Alex, I know the meaning of the word plural. I mean of course, all the human ascendants and the Ascendant alike. Murdoch is not human but he is like his brothers... only as he is from the other places like us hunters he can command many. Skinner, the one you call Antonio and all the others are powerful as you have seen, but they command only human loyalty... or if they align with their master, than they share in the protection of the hunters." 

Alex was confused. "Hunters? Other places? What are you talking about? Fuck! Just a few days ago I was waking up beside Fox and none of this meant anything." He turned to hide the frustrated tears, the weakness of that traitorous moisture. 

Garren stood and went to Alex. "I know you are upset, but Skinner is strong. He will find Fox and bring him to you, cat. Please don't cry," he husked, his voice worried, unsure how to proceed. 

Alex jerked as if punched. "I am _not_ crying!" 

Garren nodded, "If that is what you wish me to believe." 

"I want to know what that thing will do to Fox!" 

"I think you know. What would you do to such a beauty were you able to?" Garren frowned again. "If you were not able to have him just for a smile, if you had to take what you wanted?" He had not soothed Alex at all. He had hoped that Alex would take some comfort in knowing that the vampire would not kill Fox. Instead he was even more agitated than before. 

"So you are saying that he is going to rape him?" Alex clenched his fists until blood dripped onto the pale, oak floor. 

"Of course," Garren sighed. What did Alex expect? This was precisely why he would not be allowed to wander. He didn't yet grasp the situation. 

"'Of course' he says, as if that should make it easier," Alex mocked. And when Garren grabbed his hands to keep him from forcing more blood out he struck out in fury, knocking Garren to the ground. "Keep your fucking hands off me!" He heard Garren sigh and that sound made him want to weep. In a rational world the man would be dead, or at least in too much pain to sound exasperated. 

"Would you rather then, that he be killed and left a bloodless corpse, cat?" Garren came back to his feet, resisting the dominant urge to punish his willful mate. "He will be seduced. He won't know he is being raped, Alex. He will enjoy it as much as you enjoyed our mating." 

Alex's eyes flashed jade fire and Garren couldn't repress a grin. What beauty before him. He had never seen such beauty. Not even the prince could compete in his eyes. The sweep of lashes so dark a contrast to the brilliant green, the high flush of rage. He sighed in appreciation. 

"I didn't enjoy it! Not a second of it," Alex lied. His heart was being wrenched out of his chest by images of Fox, taken, panting as the old creature played with his silken body. 

"Now who is lying, cat?" 

"Stop calling me that! And I am not lying!" Alex sneered, backing away from Garren. 

"Should I remind you how it felt to be one with me, pretty Alex?" Garren chuckled as the flush grew darker and the sweet breaths grew shorter. Arousal heightened Alex's allure and Garren growled with lust. He paused in his deliberate, stalking steps when he sensed the nearness of the other ascendant. His nostrils flared with remembered rage as that one pawed at his mate. He scented a female changeling and narrowed his eyes as the sound of a vehicle came near. 

* * *

**Aerie  
Day Five  
Hour 2000**

Fox lay on the bed, it was so soft, covered with velvet, black velvet he could see in the fading light. Candles flickered from every corner of the room. He narrowed his eyes in confusion. Where was he? He had a better question. _Who_ was he? He had no recollection that would serve to answer either of those questions and a flood of images began to come to his mind as he stood, sliding off the large bed and putting his feet to the cold, stone floor. A small wooden table laden with steaming food and both a bottle of water and a bottle of wine sat near what looked to be Irish crystal stood at one side of the large room. How would he know that? How would he know it was Irish? He shook his head and followed the fading light of the sun through a strange hallway. His mind busily cataloguing everything he saw until he could ascertain that he was in a cave of sorts. He followed the narrow shaft until he was at the mouth of the cave and he put a hand to the side of the smooth stone to steady himself as he looked down. 

The entrance to the cave was several hundreds of feet up the face of a stark cliff. Trees that looked like a child's toys sprinkled the ground below and he could see for hundreds of miles in the distance. The sun was but a sliver of burning red in the sky, dipping behind snow barren peaks. He backed away from the edge, his thoughts riotous and panicked. He hurried back to the bed upon which he had awakened, hoping for some small clue as to who he was and where he was. He could only remember a silken voice soothing him, black eyes urging him to sleep... nothing else. He stared solemnly at the bed and the sumptuous feast on the old table. The walls were draped in red silk and the high ceiling was covered with incredible murals. He made a small, frustrated sound and plucked nervously at the thin, silk robe he wore. More red. Vivid scarlet a contrast to the fading tan of his exposed skin. The robe was short, revealing and he wondered what type of man he was to wear such a garment. He spied discarded denim in one corner of the room yet as he approached the jeans with relief he saw this silk on the wall flutter from some secret breeze. 

He stood still, curiosity burning, before he stepped forward and pulled back the red silk on the wall. A long, dark corridor receded into utter blackness and his pulse pounded. What was down there, he wondered. Without thinking he grabbed one of the fat, scented candles that illuminated the darkening room and slipped into the corridor, the stone beneath his feet cold. He could see only a few feet in front of him and his instincts were begging him to retreat. Something was not right. Something was making the hairs on his neck prickle with alarm and when he had gone on only another hundred feet he stopped. His breath was the sound of a freight train in the dark, loud, insistent. His heart pounding against his chest as if in cadence to his own frightened thoughts. Before him a vast cavern loomed and he could see no end to it. He looked down at his feet to see that once again he was on a precipice one that had no end that he could see in the inky blackness. He sensed movement around him and his candle was snuffed out. A small, feminine giggle erupted in the blackness. He stepped back, eyes wide, vainly trying to see as fluttery sounds surrounded him. Panicked to be so near the edge in such darkness. No sound but that fluttering not even another child-like laugh. "Who's there?" He barked out, the sound of his voice echoing in the tomb-like cave. 

Suddenly his candle came back to life and he gave a small scream to find himself surrounded by a dozen white faces, eyes burning some feral lust, red like the silk he wore. 

"Don't be frightened, love," a soft voice purred in his ear as a cold hand reached out from behind him to stroke his face. 

He turned to see the one who had spoken and he looked into the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen... or that he thought he had ever seen. 

"You woke early, love. I am sorry that I wasn't there to see it. You must have been frightened. Come away from the edge, Fox." 

Fox stepped toward the man, so lovely, so very young. "Who... who are you people? Where am I?" he didn't want to ask the one question that burned within him. He didn't want these strange people to know he did not know his own name. 

"Don't you remember?" The lovely, ebony-eyed man spoke, almost teasingly, an impish light glowing in those soul deep eyes, and a small smile curving over lush lips. "You came here with me. Don't you remember?" Mikhail knew his lover would not remember, he had made sure of it, toying with the beauty's mind to keep the ascendant from finding him while Mikhail slept 

"No." It was a whisper, forlorn. But the eyes, such jewels of amber and moss, were bright with suspicion and intellect. 

"Come then, I am sure one of my pets has laid out your repast. Why don't we go back so you can eat?" 

Fox nodded finally as the other strange, pale creatures slid past him and disappeared down the corridor. Expecting them to still be in the bedchamber, Fox was surprised to find them all gone when he and the lovely young man entered past the shield of silk. But how? The darkness was complete and the cliff... no one could climb it at night. Unless he had missed some sort of steps leading up. 

"Eat, Fox," Mikhail murmured, his own hunger not compelling. He fed for pleasure, not for survival. He was too old to require the blood, but oh such sweet, hot nectar. He could smell Fox's blood, so different than mere human's. Lovely and rich. He had sampled a bit as Fox had fallen into his dreams, taken just a sip from the tender pulse in Fox's throat. His body hardened at the memory. Tonight Fox would be awake when the blood play began. 

"Fox?" Fox asked. "Is that... is that _my_ name?" 

Mikhail smiled and looked just like he had looked on the day he had been elected Sovereign of All Russia in Moscow's Red Square by the Zemskii Sobor on February 21, 1613, at the age of 16... well what history would record as sixteen, but he was already so much older than that. He had founded the Romanov dynasty, but had never left his seed in any woman's womb. What history did not illuminate was that the only children the young Czar could create were children like the slaves who even now flew to the hunt. The ten, mortal children sired upon his second wife had been simply that, mortals from the sperm of a trusted servant. It amused him to no end that history books proclaimed his death from dropsy. Which in the old language was the abnormal accumulation of fluid in body tissues and cavities. Before his accession to the throne, he lived with his mother in the village of Domnina, the family estate of the Romanovs. And before that the centuries spanned in clouded confusion for him. He could only remember her. His mother, the one who had claimed him as her own sweet child. The only female that he could ever remember loving. Not even his human mother had he adored so well. Ah but that was in the past. Here was the new world and such a lovely place to hunt. 

"Is it, is that my name?" 

The words of his sweet love, shook from the old memories of times when he sought the attention of mortals, sought power and adulation. "Yes, love, that is your name. You can't even remember that?" A small, pleased smile preyed on his mouth as he led the confused beauty to the table. 

"No! No I can't remember anything!" Fox said frantically as he was urged to sit. The strength in the slim youth's hands not registering. Black hair. Like a wash of living silk fell over Fox's Shoulder as Mikhail leaned over him to kiss his cheek. 

"Don't worry so, Fox. You just bumped your head... your memories will return in time. No rush, no rush, love. Just eat, and then I will lie down with you awhile." 

Fox stared into the dark eyes and nodded, dumbly. "Yes, yes, no worry. I'll just eat and then you'll lie down with me." 

Mikhail kissed those plump lips, a small groan making its way past his own red lips. "You are so beautiful, love... I will make you so happy. You won't want to remember anything but me." 

Fox frowned slightly. But then commenced eating. After several silent minutes he asked, "What is your name?" 

"Mikhail is my name. I am your lover," came the soft reply. 

Fox raised his brows. He had a male lover? That certainly didn't seem like him. But then he really didn't know much about himself at all. 

"Does that surprise you, Fox?" Mikhail asked, amused. He watched the light play over the pretty features and he sighed, he could stare at Fox for an eternity. The way the wine stained the full lips red, the way the eyes rose to survey the ceiling with interest, the pulse in his neck, the lovely pulse in his neck, the way his hair fell over his face and the perfection of symmetry that allowed his face to be utterly beautiful. 

"Yes, yes it does surprise me I guess. I wouldn't think I had a male lover... for some reason I see myself with a woman... a small, red-haired woman with the bluest eyes... at least I think I do." He shook his head confused, looking down at his plate. He missed the calculating look on Mikhail's face. He gasped as his face was drawn up and his eyes captured by glittering onyx. 

"You don't see that woman, Fox... you see only me." The words were smooth and they echoed in Fox's mind. "You see only me, love." 

Fox felt dizzy and then he could only see Mikhail. All his questions about how the food had arrived, where the others had gone, how they had even gotten to this place... faded. 

Mikhail smiled, satisfied. He looked about the aerie, pleased that his human slaves had kept it so well for him. It had been one of his retreats for centuries, high above the valley, nestled on the face of rock that only the foolish would dare ascend. His human slaves were given small amounts of his blood in return for their absolute loyalty. This blood made them strong and expanded their lifetimes considerably. He asked little of them, merely that they keep his secret places ready. In this case he had also asked that they prepare for the needs of his human lover. 

"You look beautiful in that robe," Mikhail breathed. "Now let me take it off you." 

* * *

**Fort Bragg, California  
Day Four  
Hour 2130**

Dana was first to rush into the cabin and her eyes met Alex's one second before she pounced on him, her small fists grasping his biceps. "Where's Mulder?" She asked frantically. "Antonio won't tell me. He said only that something took him! What happened? Where is Skinner?" 

Alex steadied her and noticed Antonio's eyes widen as he took in Garren standing behind Alex. He narrowed his own eyes as Antonio let his gaze slowly travel up and down Garren's naked flesh. "Scully, I... Mulder was taken by... damn... a vampire. Skinner has gone after him." He glared at Antonio and turned to look at Garren. "Would you put something on already?" 

Garren was staring at the ascendant, measuring him. While not as strong as Skinner this one could defend himself. He had expended no energy in protection of the surrounding area, had left all that to Skinner. And so his powers were at their peak. After a few battles his powers would grow, but even still Garren couldn't resists walking up to him and slamming his fist into the lean stomach. He felt his fist slowed by Antonio's mind, but it connected solidly enough for all that, and the young ascendant fell to his knees even while Garren was shoved back. The little female struck him in the stomach, her blow insignificant, but he let his teeth show as he growled at her. She jumped back with a little scream and Alex grabbed Garren's arm. 

"Don't scare her!" he scolded. He turned back to Scully who was staring at a now normal looking Garren with a suspicious fear in her eyes. "Look, Scully, I want to go after Mulder..." 

"But you aren't," Garren inserted smoothly, watching the ascendant as he gracefully regained his feet and took his measure. The dark eyes were calm if a bit angry. 

"You'll pay for that, wolf," Antonio swore. He recognized the man from the night he had met his precious and the lovely Alex. 

"I doubt it," Garren grinned, a lupine smile curving his full lips. 

"Stop all this bickering!" Alex demanded. "Fox is gone, carried off by some vampire, who, I am assured, will be raping him, Skinner has left to go after him, and I am profoundly uninterested in watching another cock fight!" Alex hissed. 

"Who _is_ this person, Krycek?" Dana asked, regaining her composure now that it was obvious that Antonio was all right. 

"Oh God, too long a story," Alex sighed. 

"I am Garren, Alex belongs to me," Garren said forcefully. He wouldn't let Alex sweep him under the proverbial rug. He met Alex's angry look and ignored it. He heard Antonio sputter and cough and turned his fierce, blue gaze to that one. 

"I am sure you are mistaken. With Skinner gone, it is I who is in charge... of Alex and everything else," Antonio said hotly. 

Scully shook her head, Antonio was a trial. "Shut up, all of you! I want to know exactly what happened. And I want to know now! Where has this... vampire taken my partner?" Her voice was sharp, commanding. 

"If I knew where he was, Scully, pardon me for saying this, but I'd fucking be there!" Alex ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know, I don't know where he is. One minute he was here, going to get dressed in the bedroom the next... he was just gone. He... the window, Skinner broke it last night, and I heard... something... I don't know what..." He was getting wound up and Garren frowned. 

"Alex, there was nothing you could do. The vampire didn't have to come in and grab him, he probably just asked Mulder to come to him. Now say goodnight to your friend, you can speak to them tomorrow," Garren commanded. He had lasted longer than he had ever lasted with people ordering him about. 

Alex gaped at him and the little woman narrowed her eyes until they were mere slits. 

"You are insane if you think I am leaving him alone with you," Antonio glowered. 

"I can smell your lust, little ascendant. If you look at him once more, I will tear out your throat. Who will protect your pretty female while you heal yourself? Don't test me further than I have already been tested this night!" He surprised even himself by his own rage. His mate had been contrary and cleaved to the big ascendant, he had been wounded by the Schell that his master had sent, and upset enough by Fox's capture. It was enough to make any wolf long for blood. "If you don't want to spend the night fighting my pack you _will_ leave. I know several of my pack would love to play with your changed female." 

The trio gasped at his words and Antonio drew Dana close. 

"They come even now, ascendant. Were it not for Alex's wishes that there be no more conflict I would have them attack no matter your response. I long to rip you apart for your covetous lust. Don't doubt me! Leave now." 

Antonio could sense the pack moving close and Scully looked to him for guidance. 

"I am going to talk to Scully..." Alex began, his voice trembling with anger. 

Garren grabbed him and shook him slightly. "You will _not_ speak to her now. You will do as I say! I have let you run riot long enough. You are not helping yourself and you cannot help the prince. Don't make me hurt your friends, for I will." 

Alex struggled, but was unable to free himself. 

"I cannot let you abuse him, wolf. If I must fight, then I fight," Antonio said calmly. 

Alex saw that Scully was frightened when the first howls filled the night as the pack rushed to their master's side. Fox would kill him if she was hurt. Forget cuddling up at night after sex... hell forget sex! "Just go, Antonio. He won't hurt me I don't think," he said, unsure. 

Garren frowned darkly and shook his mate again. "I will if you don't stop testing me. Have you forgotten your first lesson of discipline?" 

Alex froze. How could even Garren bring up that scene? He felt cold fear wash over him as hundreds of howls filled the night. 

"Antonio?" Dana whispered, trembling. 

"You have two seconds to decide, ascendant," Garren growled. 

"For God's sake, Antonio, think about Dana!" Alex beseeched. "Just go! Go now!" 

Antonio didn't want to leave Alex with the wolf, not only because he wanted Alex for himself, but also not wanting Alex to be harmed. However, it was Dana that he would have to protect in the end. He had not expected such resistance. He took her in a tight grip and pulled her out the door. 

Alex heard Dana scream as she saw the wolves rushing out of the dark toward she and Antonio and he cried out. "Please don't let them hurt them!" 

Garren sensed several of his pack burning and he made them retreat some small distance. Not so far that the ascendant would forget their threat, but far enough away that the female could not see them. Alex was trembling now, the night had been long. However when he bent to console him, he met with a fierce look. He was once again struck, hard, but held tight to Alex as he growled. "Settle down, Alex, the female is safe. You can stop hurting your hands on me." 

Alex shook his head. "You can let me go now! I am not about to rush off to be torn apart by your pack for my disobedience to the great and powerful Garren!" 

Garren did not bother to respond to that bit of ridiculousness. He simply carried Alex to the cozy bedroom. He could still smell the sweet, lingering scent of the prince and he felt his body respond to it. He lay with Alex on the bed, completely ignoring the struggles and heart-felt curses. It had been too long since he had enjoyed his mate intimately. He slid over Alex, his heavier frame holding the cursing man immobile. He was so hungry for this, to be with Alex again, it would take his mate's mind off the unfortunate theft of the pretty Fox. 

"Damn you! Not now. Stop it!" Alex was frantic. He couldn't let this happen. As Garren held Alex's hands tight above his head in one, large hand while the other trailed leisurely over his chest, plucking at the fabric of his shirt, almost playfully. Deep within him, however, a secret desire for Garren was overriding his logic, his intense desire, his _need_ to save Fox. He hated himself at that moment. 

"You need this, Alex. You need to have your mind off your troubles. You need what I will give to you," Garren whispered, licking at one small ear. "And I need you." 

Alex shook his head desperately. He didn't need this! He hated Garren with everything that he was. He took Alex's surety of strength away with one careless flick of his powerful hands. As Garren ran his warm tongue down his jaw, Alex pushed at the broad shoulders, "Please don't." The unfamiliar act of pleading coupled with the strain of the evening made Alex cry out and his struggles intensified. 

Garren growled and bit at Alex's neck quickly. Alex's struggles were wild, unfocused, he feared Alex would harm himself in his animalistic attempt to free himself. He licked at the small wound and forced a large amount of his spore inside. He held tight, whispering in Alex's ear until the body quickened with a different type of frenzy. Garren looked into the jade eyes, so lovely and he growled with insatiable lust. He could never have imagined this feeling. He burned to take the pretty body, drive deep inside him, pound in and out in a rhythm he knew so well, and yet he also wanted to kiss those pink lips, hear his name whispered, screamed. He wanted Alex to smile at him. He bent to kiss the sweet, pink lips and Alex groaned kissing him back with an intensity that burned. 

Alex wanted to fight the feeling that encompassed him, but he couldn't stop himself from writhing beneath Garren's powerful body. When Garren slid down his torso trailing kisses along his seductive journey Alex stared at the ceiling, which was suddenly melting around him. He licked his lips slowly as Garren nibbled at his belly, his own tongue feeling so good on his lips. Garren parted his legs and engulfed Alex's cock hungrily. Alex's whole being was concentrated on that velvet heat, the slick slide of Garren tongue swirling around the throbbing head of his cock. His whimpers and moans made Garren growl in response and Alex heard Garren speaking to him but his words were incomprehensible to Alex. He still thought of Fox, worried about him, but the sensations were so incredible. He pumped his hips up, sliding his cock in and out of Garren's mouth. 

"So g-good, oh y-e-e-s-s-s, don't stop!" 

Garren grabbed Alex's muscular thighs and lifted them until Alex's weight rested on his shoulders. Garren withdrew from Alex's cock, reluctantly. He gave one last lick of the weeping tip and looked down at the pretty face. "Alex, do you want me to stop now?" He let Alex's hips down and looked into the incredible jade eyes. Narrowed like a cat's, his pretty little cat. He bent to kiss the pink, moist lips and whispered into Alex's mouth. "Tell me what you want me to do, cat." 

Alex spread his legs wide and wrapped his legs about Garren's wide torso. "Please... oh please, Garren," Alex whimpered. He rubbed his cock up against Garren's, hissing at the hot friction. "Fuck me... now... please... I want you... I want you so badly... ple-please. I can't stand it." 

Alex's voice was husky with desire, so sexy Garren had to hold back the change. His blood burned with his own need. He devoured Alex's mouth almost brutally. Almost. He was not so lost in lust that he would hurt Alex. He moved up suddenly, placing his large erection at Alex's mouth. He arched his back and groaned as Alex licked and sucked eagerly at his hard flesh. Alex was making hungry, desperate cries, wetting his cock as hastily as he could, wanting it inside him. Garren moved quickly and turned Alex on his belly. He bent to lick at the crevice between Alex's buttocks, tonguing the small anus slowly, closing his eyes with the pleasure of that small act. He couldn't resist Alex's pleas and moved up to place his erection at that wet, pink hole. He had to hold Alex's hips steady as he was writhing about, pumping his hips and clawing at the bedding. He pressed hard to gain entry and bent to kiss Alex's face as he made a sound of pain. "Relax, cat, I'm going to do this slow." 

"Noooo, please hurry," Alex gasped, trying to push his body upward, but Garren held him still. 

"You're so beautiful, cat. I'll never let you go," Garren whispered, his words a husky endearment. He was enthralled, the tight squeeze of Alex's body intoxicating him. He worked slowly to enter the tight sheath and finally let Alex move. Immediately Alex began to buck his hips, impaling himself on the hard cock over and over. Garren let Alex control the movement for only a short time before he began to thrust hard in and out. The bed creaked under their efforts and Alex tossed his head with undeniable ecstasy. He wanted this, wanted it forever. He turned his head and Garren covered his lips with his own and their tongues mated wildly as their bodies pumped, straining for culmination. Alex's scream of release was trapped in Garren's mouth and the erotic appeal of that made him shudder as Garren plunged in deep and found his own release. 

Garren moved his heavy body off his mate and lay on his back. He pulled Alex over him and quietly soothed his trembling, gasping lover. He ran an appreciative hand over Alex's back, luxuriating in the smooth, defined muscles there. He cupped one trembling buttock and waited for Alex to sleep. When Alex fell into a deep sleep, snuggled atop Garren's large body, Garren allowed himself to relax and prepare to sleep. His arms curled about his mate as he began to fall asleep, instinctively protecting him. He would wake, he knew, at any threat to his mate, and the way he felt at this moment he would shred any creature that even attempted to disturb the cat's needed sleep. 

* * *

**Day Five  
Hour 2200**

Skinner wasn't tired anymore and he moved through the forest so quickly that he was amazed. He followed his sense of Fox, though he knew Fox was far away already. He felt creatures around him, most running madly out of his path. The other things, the weak dead things were too clumsy to escape his passage and they burned, stumbling torches that fell to the earth twitching. Skinner extended little energy to shield additional areas but he cleared his path ruthlessly. To shield the areas that he had already claimed did not drain him, but seemed to be powered from another source, one that he drew upon at all times. The pink sphere existed still and it fed him easily. When the morning light was fading into the dusk of a new night he stopped to rest himself, four hundred miles from where he had begun. 

He woke at full dark and started out again, but after only a few miles he realized that he could no longer sense Fox's awareness. He clenched his fists and for one brief moment he feared that Fox was dead. But, he knew that the vampire would not kill Fox, he had simply found a way to shield Fox from him. Skinner concentrated on the creature that had taken him. Focusing all his mental sight he tried to connect with the old creature. A grim smile covered his lips as he caught a brief glimmer of the dark thoughts of that one. It was gone as quickly as it came, but it was enough for him to continue his hunt. 

* * *

**Aerie  
Day Five  
Hour 2015**

Mikhail led Mulder to the large bed. "That's it, love, just relax and let me make you comfortable." 

Fox lay back on the cool sheets, the smooth slide of the fabric a red, sensual bath. He watched as Mikhail slowly moved onto the bed beside him. Cool fingers toyed with the edges of the flimsy robe, smoothing over his chest. Obsidian eyes glittered with the candlelight, so dark and endless. He gasped as the cool hand slid beneath the silk robe and found one nipple, pinching it. 

Mikhail sighed in delight as Fox's legs spread in response to the caress. Such an eager one this beauty. He rolled the nipple in his fingers and the legs spread even further, moss eyes wide with fright and passion. He bent and gently kissed the full lips, drawing in the plump lower lips and sucking it slowly. He felt Fox try to draw back, was still fighting him somehow. He looked into those eyes, so much intelligence suppressed, so much love for another that screamed to rise to the surface. He smiled so gently. "Easy, love, you are going to be with me for a long, long time." He chuckled as Fox shook his head slightly. "Yes, love," Mikhail whispered. He flicked aside the robe, revealing the lithe body splayed so wantonly below him. He bent to kiss the blood-infused nipple. He closed his eyes as he felt the inferno heat of living flesh, the taste of salt. He bit lightly, scraping one fang on the tender nipple. Fox gasped his body arching into the embrace. He tasted the sweet blood, just a drop, enough to make his own flesh burn. He felt Fox shudder beneath him, his legs opening further and then closing only to part once more. 

"What, what are you doing to me," Fox rasped, his breath irregular and heavy. The murals above him were so vivid the images of naked, gilded youths worshipping at the feet of some dark lord. "Mikhail," he breathed, recognizing the dark eyes of his lover in the mural above. 

Mikhail turned his attention to the next nipple, attending to it with his sharp fangs as gently, as carefully as he had done to its brother. He looked up at Fox, letting the beauty see the blood on his lips. The forest eyes clouded with lust and he let Fox taste his own blood. He lapped at Fox's lips sharing the sweet essence with a sigh. He rained kisses over Fox's face, sucking on the exotic mole, careful not to mark his face with his teeth. 

"Grab hold the rail behind you, Fox," he murmured his mouth traveling to the long expanse of throat. He kissed the pounding pulse point and let the song of blood rush over him as Fox obeyed him, reaching his arms up to grasp the rail of the headboard. "Your lovely legs are so spread for me, such a wanton lust I have roused." 

Fox licked his lips, tasting the lingering pungent copper clinging to his lips. He saw the green of one supplicant's robes in the mural and a flash of memory assailed him. Some secret hidden from him, something that Mikhail was hiding. Green eyes, framed by dark lashes, vivid with passion. He cried out as Mikhail gripped his jaw. 

"Think of me only, love, no one else exists for you anymore." 

Fox knew it wasn't true, somehow he knew, but he was Mikhail's lover, wanted to believe that this seduction was familiar and true. The green eyes faded back into the robe of the oil-rendered acolyte and he cried out as Mikhail's lips traveled down to the sensitive flesh of his belly. 

"I can feel your heart beating here," Mikhail crooned as his cool hand grazed the tip of Fox's cock. "Such a strong rhythm. Such a lovely beat." He placed his lips on the tip of the cock, lapping up the liquid oozing forth. "I want you so badly, love, I want to take you in my mouth and drain you. Such pretty flesh, so needful. Do you need me, love?" 

Fox lifted his hips, offering his body to Mikhail. "Yes, I need you," he whispered. Mikhail's smile was so tender, so loving he wanted to cry. He was loved here. How could he have ever doubted Mikhail? The ruby lips slid over the head of his cock, such a beautiful sight, dark eyes holding his own captive. He closed his eyes as the pleasure consumed him. When he opened them again he saw the ripple of flesh over Mikhail's face, as if some other face was superimposed over the pretty features, an old face, pale and horrible. He saw the thing smile around his flesh, copious teeth white and glittering, a black tongue snaking around the flesh of his cock. Red eyes glowing with lust, red like the silk, but so filled with fire. He whimpered as his hips were lifted closer to that ancient death mask and then Mikhail crooned to him, the voice relaxing him as long finger tipped with a long nail caressed his chest. Rippling away, the grotesque image was gone leaving only the beauty of Mikhail's haunting youth. 

Mikhail smiled as he slid his mouth off the delicious flesh. He couldn't resist scraping lightly on the blood-engorged organ. Fox gave a guttural moan of pain and pleasure. The tiny drops of blood that welled from his taut flesh threatened to undo Mikhail utterly. What pleasure this changeling was. Such sweet tastes and scents... such beauty without death. "Shall I take you now, love? Would you like to squirm, impaled upon me?" 

Fox shook his head, wanting it, but afraid once more. He could see something large hovering near Mikhail, as if it were part of Mikhail. He could smell the mellow wax, the musk of sex, his sex, and Mikhail's arousal. Some other scent lingered in the periphery, some unclean scent. He looked up once more at the mural, the green robe, a jade color like emerging ferns and tropical glades. The robe was still but the color was in motion filled with passion, love and tenderness. Green, it soothed him as Mikhail's words soothed him. His legs were moved, lifted, placed on Mikhail's shoulders. Such broad shoulders, the skin so luminous. He felt the nudge of penetration and knew he had felt it before. His feet on Mikhail's back felt the roughness of skin, like weathered leather. He closed his eyes and moaned as the impossibly large penis pressed home, deep and deeper until he was pinned upon it, Mikhail letting him squirm on it. 

The ripple of illusion receded again as Mikhail bent his head to Fox's neck. He licked at the sweet, pulsing flesh and made a small cut. As the blood drooled into his mouth, he began to thrust in and out of the hot flesh beneath him. His true form a delicious contrast to the beauty writhing beneath him. Fox opened his eyes seeing only beauty as he lifted his hips to receive the old creature inside him, panting, open-mouthed and delirious. The sucking sounds at his neck mingled with the slap and slide of the sex and he felt himself lift into another plane, one of such intensity that he began to scream. Mikhail wound his long, powerful arms under Fox, lifting that sweet neck to his fang-jagged mouth as he rutted, filling the beauty with his leathery cock. He pulled his face back, eyes flaring red as the blood-lust threatened to consume him, not wanting to take too much from his lover. Drops of blood fell on Fox's face as he thrashed shamelessly, desperately. 

The screams of the victims threatened to disturb his lover as his children flew back into the cavern, carrying their meals past them, wings beating in time to their hunger. Mikhail covered Mulder face with one, long hand and hissed at his children, his features a horror mask as they moved past the silk curtain and deep into the cavern, with swift speed. 

"What... what?" Fox cried out, confused. 

"Feel me inside you, love." The words were slurred, drunk with the blood and the lust. "Think only of me, you love only me." 

"Yes," Fox whimpered. "Only you, always..." 

Mikhail slammed in harder and harder, enjoying the sliding motions of Fox's body as he was opened and spread. He wrapped one hand over Fox's cock and pumped it quickly. Hungry for the fluid that would pulse from the delicious hole. "Come for me, Fox, come for me now," he commanded and screamed as Fox's body clenched tight around him. His back bent with inhuman agility and he sucked in the white seed, so pure, living and hot, so like blood, and just as sweet. He took all that Fox could give and then he filled Fox with his own seed. He slid off the warm body and motioned for a cloth to come to him. He gently bathed the beauty, spending long moments bathing the spasming anus. He couldn't resist a small kiss, a small scrape of teeth to taste the blood there. Fox was staring up at the mural again, his eyes and thoughts locked on to the color green. Green, Mikhail knew, like the lovely Alex's eyes. 

"Sleep, love, you've made me very happy." 

Fox smiled at the praise. 

"Sleep now. I will wake you when I want to move on." As Fox fell into drained sleep Mikhail felt a presence, something powerful finding him for an instant. He immediately blocked the presence feeling the strength of the one who hunted him. He turned to gather up warm clothing for his lover and while Fox slept he dressed him in the warm woolen trousers, thick socks and several sweaters. He pulled Fox up, keeping him asleep with little effort, his sweet lover was drained. He smiled, in more ways than one. He slid one hand up from Fox's generous bulge under the wool and then up to the parted, red lips. Pulling a long wool, fur-lined coat over the bumpy ensemble and gathered his stolen lover up and moved toward the edge of the cavern. The night was cold and endless, the aerie so high that Mikhail could see every star in clear relief against the friendly night sky. The short time without cities spewing their filth had done so much for the splendor of night. The Milky Way hung low, clearer than it had been in a century. He smiled; it really was glorious. There were plenty of people to feed from, but no longer were they poisoning the atmosphere with their countless machines. The ascendant was far away, but moving fast, unerringly toward him. He took his lover into the air. The ascendant couldn't track Fox, but he was obviously tracking Mikhail himself. He had to keep getting further away from the deadly foe. Fox stirred as the flap of wings called up a chill wind. 

"Alex..." Fox moaned. "Walt..." 

"Don't even say it," Mikhail hissed. He felt the surge of recognition from the ascendant as what he thought of as his property called to him. Fox was sighing in pleasure at some memory and Mikhail flew on. 

* * *

Outstanding Skinner AU   
Honorable mention   


09/15/99   
RATING: Very NC-17   
SPOILERS: Probably, but do you care?   
SUMMARY: Alternate Universe After the events of The Changing, the world is ruled by magic and Mulder has to learn to find a role for himself in the new paradigm.   
WARNING: Sexual Assault, Angst, explicit sex (consensual and non-consensual) between hot men, magic, and B&D. If that isn't your thing or you are below the age of consent. DO NOT READ!!!!!!!!!! My Krycek has two arms and he's going to keep them thank you.   
DISCLAIMER: They aren't mine. They belong to CC and 1013 Productions. I don't make any money...wouldn't take it if I could, just borrowing, you can have them back.   
FEEDBACK: Please and thank you. [email removed]   
Website if applicable: [ http://www.slashingmulder.com/Author_N.htm](http://www.slashingmulder.com/Author_N.htm)   
DEDICATED TO: Megaera for reminding me that the supernatural exists beyond the written word, (but mostly near her home) Thanks to JoB, Cerulean and Michael for their beta and _delicious_ ideas... keep 'em coming love.   
---


	5. You'll Love Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Universe After the events of The Changing, the world is ruled by magic and Mulder has to learn to find a role for himself in the new paradigm.

  
**Chapter Five  
You'll Love Me**

_"Come with me, into the trees  
We'll lay on the grass   
And let the hours pass _

Take my hand, come back to the land   
Let's get away, just for one day 

Let me see you stripped down to the bone   
Let me see you stripped down to the bone 

Metropolis has nothing on this   
You're breathing in fumes   
I taste when we kiss   
Take my hand come back to the land   
Where everything's ours   
For a few hours 

Let me see you stripped down to the bone   
Let me see you stripped down to the bone 

Let me hear you make decisions   
Without your televisions 

Let me hear you speaking just for me   
Let me see you stripped down to the bone   
Let me hear you crying just for me   
Let me see you stripped down to the bone" 

Stripped by Depeche Mode. 

**Murdoch Family Estate  
Sirius   
Annapolis, Maryland   
Day Six   
Hour 0024**

Murdoch walked in the woods surrounding the estate, such tame woods compared to those to the west, but beautiful for all that. His hands were buried in his pockets as he walked. It was past time for him to exert his influence, the First Blood were waiting for his action, his allies were waiting for his action, but his mind was not on the task at hand. The Schell had failed. Skinner had proven what Murdoch already knew. He was powerful. That was disturbing in itself, but what disturbed him more was that wolves had attacked the Schell. The Schell that survived could not know if Garren had been present, but Murdoch knew he had been. Had his loyal companion joined with Skinner? If he had than it was surely only to get to Alex. Garren was many things, but a compassionate crusader he was not. He would just as soon tear a man's throat out than look at him. He knew Garren and knew that the packleader was more than capable of challenging Skinner, but why hadn't he? The surviving Schell were few in number and Murdoch didn't bother to call forth any more. Skinner would know how to kill them too easily now. 

Did Skinner want to woo his packleader away from him? Murdoch seethed at the thought. With Garren at his side Skinner would be too powerful an enemy. Add to that the other ascendants who had aligned with the former AD and the balance of power was too close for comfort. He had been the one to walk through the centuries to plan this! He had been the one with the power, why then did he feel threatened by this human ascendant? Garren would have to come home to him, he had always been with him and his father before that. What was the packleader without the Ascendant? Nothing, Murdoch thought. 

Then there was the matter of his prince. Skinner had lost him and left the little cat for Garren to enjoy while he went to reclaim him. It was a perfect opportunity to go fetch his sweet Foxling. Skinner might not be able to track the vampire, but Murdoch knew he could find the creature easily enough, but he had spent too much of his energy on the pretty prince already. He would settle his business first. Had he been more focussed before, perhaps Garren would not have left his side, even temporarily. He had waited thousands of years for this time and he could not afford to blunder any further, not even for his prince. He knew that Fox would be safe, that the vampire would simply enjoy his body. For that the creature would pay, but he would let Skinner fetch him. He felt the wind pick up and he smiled then, gathering the wind to him he stood in a maelstrom for a long time, enjoying the buffeting wind. He saw in his mind's eye the capital in the distance, darkened like a tomb, the buildings like the pyramids, useless reminders of a dead civilization. He would make that city his. He would refill it with life and power so that the people would flock to it. 

So thinking he concentrated on the distant towers and slowly the lights began to flicker on. The hum of electricity from sleeping power plants startled forgetful birds and he smiled. Here only. This one city would he allow power. It would be a mecca, a beautiful city with beautiful people. He would make sure of the later. They would come, he knew, for humans were lazy creatures, lazy and nostalgic. They would be thankful to be allowed to live in his city. Food and clothing would be supplied by the rest of his people, the workers who even now were being gathered in clusters about the countryside. Large groups of thousands gathered together in the attempt to ward off the creatures that hunted them for food. Murdoch grinned. For those groups of humans who were loyal to him, who obeyed him and his followers, there would be safety from the hunters of the night. He would make his home there in that distant city, secure the obedience of the millions of humans east of the Rockies and set up his First Bloods to rule for him. His loyal brothers round the world had already secured their niches with the help of Murdoch's hunters. People everywhere were flocking to the human ascendants and pledging loyalty to them to save themselves and their families from the butchery that had run rampant around the globe. 

He laughed a bit. He and Skinner were so consumed with the thoughts of one man that they, the two most powerful of them all, had failed to take decisive action. Skinner with his pathetic, democratic attempts at restructuring and he the one true Ascendant with his little campaign to regain his prince. No more. He was waiting no longer. He sent out his command and his followers began to make their way toward the largest human groups and they would secure them, bend them to their will... Murdoch's will. He walked back toward the mansion and thought of his little foxling-alike, his favorite, the one so like Fox. He wanted to play with him in the sling, spread those long legs and taste him, hear him beg. Perhaps later he would, but for now he would pick a few of the changed humans to gift to his first bloods. They could have their little toys while they organized new cities and taught the new religion. Already Murdoch could sense the thousands who were flocking to the bright lights of D.C. It felt good to be focussed once more. He felt the power wash over him with an intoxicating rush and he thought perhaps the picking of the changed ones could wait, he would play with his sweet foxling-alike after all. 

* * *

**Fort Bragg, California  
Day Six   
Hour 0700**

Alex woke suddenly, he was held close to Garren's body and he felt a moment's pleasure at that position before thoughts of Fox flooded in. Guilt tightened its hold on him and squeezed mercilessly at his heart. Why was he behaving like a whore for Garren? He had some type of control over him that was certain. But even now, as he stared at the huge man, he felt the urge to run his hands through that thick, silky hair. He frowned then, his thoughts of curling back into Garren's warmth like the cat Garren called him, banished resolutely. He eased himself out of the bed, surprised that Garren didn't immediately wake. He backed silently toward the door, picking up his bag as he went. He used some of the clothes he'd carelessly packed the night before to clothe himself, ignoring the slight discomfort of his well used body as he did so. He left the bag on the floor near the couch, as he had no intention of trying to go after Fox. He had no idea where he or Skinner were. He wanted to check on Scully and to find out where her mother and the Gunmen were, he could at least see to it that Fox's friends were safe if he could not protect Fox. He knocked on the door of Scully's and Antonio's cabin just as Garren came out of Skinner's cabin, dressed in a pair of Skinner's jeans. The jeans were too tight and too short but at least he wasn't flaunting his body for everyone to see, Alex thought. Garren looked angry as he made his way toward Alex. Antonio answered the door just as Garren came up behind Alex and placed a proprietary hand on his shoulder. 

Antonio glared at Garren and looked at Alex with a considering stare. Alex looked so well used, the pink lips swollen and a fiery gleam in his eyes. Despite his animosity to the wolf, Antonio would have loved to have seen the big blonde take the pretty pet. Unfortunately he had been occupied keeping Dana calm. 

"Antonio, I want to talk to Scully," Alex said briskly all the while trying to shrug off Garren's hand. He looked over Antonio's shoulder to see Dana, already dressed in her nice suit. She smiled at him, unsure. 

"Krycek, you're okay!" 

She seemed relieved and he was a bit surprised by that. He knew she had residual distrust of him, but had tolerated him because of Fox's feelings for him. But she seemed genuinely pleased to see him. Her eyes flickered toward Garren and then dismissed him. 

"Come in, I am just about to go to town to check on my mom. And of course make sure that the Gunmen survived the night." She gave an attempt at a smile, but her worry for Fox was a haunting specter on her face. "I... I want to talk about Mulder too." 

"Alex couldn't have done anything," Garren growled, making sure that point was clear. 

"I know that!" Scully glared. "I just want to know everything." She patted Antonio's shoulder and made him move to allow Alex and Garren in. "Are you two hungry?" she asked politely as she ushered them in. She looked at Garren's too-tight pants and Antonio grimaced. 

"Would you like me to get some clothes that fit you, wolf, I don't want you flaunting yourself in front of Dana," he said in a voice that was clearly disdainful. 

"I need nothing from you, ascendant. I have some clothes being brought to me right now," Garren growled. He gave Alex a little glare for putting him in a position where he had to tolerate a man he would rather tear into. Alex wasn't paying attention to him and missed the glare, but Garren settled himself into one of the small couches and watched his mate as he sat at a table with the pretty female. 

Scully handed Alex a box of doughnuts with a small grimace. "I wasn't really in the mood for cooking," she explained. 

He nodded, "It's okay, I'm not really hungry anyway. Skinner went after Mulder, and... and I'm sure he'll find him and bring him back to... us." His eyes were shuttered, no emotion shone out, but his jaw flexed a bit, the muscles rippling under the whisker-roughened skin. 

She cleared her throat. "Why... why did he leave you?" She saw Alex wince a bit at that and she looked at her hands. 

"I... he couldn't take me. He said I couldn't keep up with him. I guess he was right, but..." 

"But you feel abandoned," Scully offered. 

Alex glared at her. "Abandoned? No! I don't need anyone to take care of me. I wanted to go after Fox myself. You know, I used to be pretty damn good of taking care of things... I..." 

"Alex," Scully said softly, interrupting his tirade. He raised now burning green eyes to her. "I know how you feel. This whole thing is insane, but it is reality. We have to learn to deal with it." 

He looked away. "I don't think I can." 

"You have to," she said grimly. "This is how things are and I don't know if there is a way to change things back." She laid one, small hand on his and squeezed gently. "When Mulder gets back... when he gets back he'll..." 

"He'll what?" Alex asked. "Scully, he is just as confused as the rest of us. Shit, he's been treated like some conquest since this thing has began. You know, all we wanted was to be together. It seemed impossible before... now... now I don't know." He looked over to find both Antonio and Garren watching them. "Whatever took Fox, the vampire thing... Jesus I can't believe I am saying things like 'vampire' and 'werewolf' and not laughing my ass off. This vampire took Fox, Scully. I have no idea what kind of state he'll be in when Skinner brings him back... _if_ Skinner brings him back..." 

"He will," Scully said quietly, but her voice was steel and brooked no argument. When Alex looked into her eyes, they were blazing with intensity. For all her size, she was one of the toughest people he had ever met. No wonder Mulder was so attached to her. She was a rock, a small rock, but a rock nonetheless. 

"When Skinner brings him back," Alex amended and received a nod from Scully, "who's to say he will even want to be here?" 

"What do you mean? Of course he will!" Scully squeezed Alex's hand once more. "You know, I didn't like it when he told me that he loved you, but, Alex, I have never seen his eyes light up the way they did then." 

"He told you?" Alex hated his hopeful tone. Dammit, he wasn't some kid with a schoolyard crush. He was turned inside out by all the conflicting emotions. Fox was being raped somewhere, Skinner had left to go find him, and here he was taking joy in the fact that Fox had actually told Dana how he felt about him. What a fucking idiot he was. 

"Yes, he did. While we were in San Francisco... actually on the drive from the airport he sprung it on me. He probably chose that moment because I couldn't very well kill him while he was driving," she smiled a bit. "He'll want to be back, Alex. He was insane when you were taken. I've never seen him like that. He'd do anything to get back to you." 

Alex nodded and then his eyes widened in horror as he felt the telltale moisture begin to gather in his eyes at her words. He stood abruptly and growled at her. "Let's get moving then. I don't need to sit around and gossip. We need to check on his friends... and your mother." With that he strode toward the door, snapping his fingers at Antonio as he did. "Come on then, motor-boy, we are going to town." 

Scully smiled to herself. Alex Krycek was certainly more than she had expected. She'd seen the sheen of tears in his eyes when she'd spoken of Mulder. Alex loved her partner, even if he resented the gentle feelings. She shrugged at Antonio who was standing to follow Alex and Garren out the door. She frowned as she watched Garren follow Alex so closely. What was she going to do about that? Mulder would not go for it and he really didn't need that kind of complication. She narrowed her eyes and began to mull over her options. What did one do to kill a werewolf? Oh where was Mulder when you needed him? He would know how to kill a werewolf. Of course he had been too consumed with finding Alex before to tell her how, but when he got back they would get rid of the creature that was trying to take Alex from him. With that thought in mind she followed the two out the door. Antonio stroked her shoulder gently in passing, his dark eyes concerned for her. "I'm fine, Antonio. I really do not need you to coddle me. In fact, I think I'll shoot you if you don't stop," she growled. She regretted her words instantly as his eyes widened and his lips parted in silent protest. "Oh come on, let's get to town. I won't shoot you," she allowed. "I am just worried about my partner." 

Antonio sighed. His little treasure was such a dichotomy. One moment so soft and cuddly that he never wanted to let her out of his arms. The next a spitting fireball, one he felt the need to tiptoe around. All because of the beautiful Fox. He nodded at her and smiled, "Of course, cara." 

Scully walked toward Alex and Garren who were standing by one of the white Range Rovers, Alex was doing his best to ignore Garren, who was leaning against the vehicle and petting Alex's arm. She frowned then but smiled as Alex struck the man and said something in a hissed voice. Her smile faded back into a frown when Garren just chuckled and straightened away from the big vehicle. The SUV actually groaned as the heavy weight was lifted and it swayed from side to side just a fraction. 

"I go on foot," Garren informed Antonio. "I have someone I want to talk to first." Garren's eyes were narrowed as he remembered just who he wanted to _talk_ to, the man the prince had called Baku. The leader of the Dorl. He would take great pleasure in stripping his old flesh from this bones, one bloody stripe at a time. He looked to his mate and saw the speculative look there and he smiled innocently. 

"Do _not_ even think about killing that man," Alex growled. 

"You do not tell me who I can or cannot kill, cat, you may be my mate, but I am still the one in charge," Garren growled. 

"Fox is going to want to talk to him, you bastard. And if he comes back and finds him dead... well, he just better not!" 

Garren glared at his contrary cat and would have berated him then and there, but Alex slid into the Range Rover and slammed his door behind him. 

"I thought I asked to be told everything," Dana said, glaring at Garren as if he should have informed her. 

"Don't push me, female," he glowered. 

"You don't scare me," she lied as she stared up at him, the top of her shiny red hair barely reaching his nipples. 

"I should," he replied. 

"Well you don't," she glared. 

"Dana, get in," Antonio sighed. 

Satisfied that the man knew she wasn't some shrieking female, Scully slowly climbed in, her knees trembling. 

"You kill that old bastard and I'll hunt you down, Garren," Alex promised. 

Garren frowned. "You won't have to hunt me, cat. I'll find you." 

"You won't want to if you kill him before Fox can talk to him," Alex spat, his eyes glowing a dangerous green. 

"After he talks to the little Fox, I'm killing him," Garren threatened. 

"We'll see," Alex dismissed him. "Get this fucking thing moving," he demanded. 

Garren was left to watch the car move away. He was conflicted. He just wanted to tear the old man apart. He had hurt his mate with his words. He realized then that he should want to kill the leader of the Dorl for Murdoch. He should actually kill the old man, but he wanted to please Alex. Maybe having a mate wasn't as exhilarating as he had thought. It was too constricting! He paced about for several minutes until one of his pack came from the tree line, carrying several bags filled with clothes for him. The small female cowered before him as she handed him the bag. Why could he not have chosen a wolf for a mate? Then he would never be questioned. Or commanded! His being commanded was almost entirely new. Murdoch had commanded him, but he had had no real reason to obey other than that he had always been with him. Now... now he wanted to do something and couldn't! It was enough to make any wolf long for blood. He ripped off the small jeans he was wearing and fished about in the bag until he found an outfit he thought Alex might like. When he was dressed he stared at the cowering female. "Put the rest in that cabin." He pointed to the third cabin. The one that had no scent of the big ascendant. Whoever was staying there could just find someplace else. With that, he began his walk to the little town, berating himself all the way for not killing the one called Baku. 

* * *

**Day Eight  
Hour 0830**

Skinner woke from a deep sleep bathed in bright sunlight. He knew the vampire slept, but he took little comfort in the fact that Fox would be left alone for those briefs hours of sun, he knew very well what the vampire was doing in the darkness of night. It was as if the creature was taunting him with the images, growing confident in his continued ability to elude Skinner. Skinner had been so tormented by that first night the vampire, Mikhail, had given him lurid glimpses into his play with Fox that he had stopped his hunt and felt tears coursing down his face. Fox's face was so filled with confusion, fear and lust. He wanted to fall to his knees and bawl like a baby, but strangely he thought of Alex. Alex would not cry, he would go faster and _find_ Fox... tear the vampire to bits with sheer determined fury. His little assassin, such a man of intensity. Of course that intensity was focussed solely on Fox, be it his obvious love, or his devotion and burning protectiveness. Alex would not weep... until it was over and Fox was safe, and then... and then Alex would go off alone to cry for Fox and to blame himself for not being strong enough. He had learned so much about Alex since his own change, could see that though Alex had not lived an exemplary life, he had lived it the only way he could. He had straightened then and though the vampire continued to taunt him with images he kept coming, drawing closer until the vampire moved on, shutting him out utterly to hide Fox away once more. However, he couldn't shut Skinner out totally and he followed, the miles between he and his other, newer love growing. He could not even think of what Garren would do to Alex, he only knew that he had not tried to take Alex away. What would he do then? It didn't bear thinking of. 

Now, standing in the sun he reached out for Fox with his mind. Mikhail had been so successful in blocking Fox's memories that there wasn't even the faintest glimmer of his lover. As he began to move once more he killed all the dead things hiding beneath the earth, it wasn't even something he had to think about, he had killed so many of the flesh eaters that their weakness and their presence was almost something he ignored, simply crushing their skulls from miles away. At some point he didn't even bother to go around the countless abandoned vehicles, he just willed them away and they were gone as if they had never been there. 

* * *

**Day Ten  
Hour 2000**

He woke to the soft touch of lips on his left nipple and he stretched languorously opening his eyes to stare into the black of the eyes staring intently into his. He started for a minute, confused by their color, but at a soft smile from Mikhail he smiled back. 

"What are we going to do tonight, love?" Mikhail asked gently. 

"You tell me. Maybe something... different," Fox grinned. 

"Oh? Different? What were you thinking?" Mikhail bent once more and lapped at the responsive flesh of Fox's nipple. He grinned as Fox gasped. "Don't tell me you want to play cards instead of make love?" Mikhail leaned back and his hair slid over his high cheeks in irresistible seduction. 

Fox ran his hands through the black silk framing Mikhail's lovely, pale face. "No, Mikhail, maybe go out and see other people? Go dancing. Something like that. I want to show you off." He was so happy at this moment, had he ever been happier? He couldn't imagine it. Here he was with his beautiful lover in their beautiful home... he frowned then. He looked about him. The room was plush, filled with sapphire velvet and golden silk. How long had they lived here, for though Mikhail had told him they had lived in this home forever, he didn't recognize it. 

"What is it, love?" Mikhail watched as Fox looked about the unfamiliar surroundings. He leaned back and watched as Fox tried to reconcile what he thought to be true and what Mikhail had made him think. "You look like you are troubled, love," he purred, stroking his own chest with deliberate sensuality. 

"No... I... I don't know... why don't I recognize this place?" Fox turned his gaze one more to his lover and Mikhail frowned to see a cold look of speculation in the lovely eyes. 

"You do." 

"I do?" 

"You do recognize it. In fact, love, you recognize whatever I want you to, don't you?" 

Fox shook his head and then he ran a hand over his eyes. "Yes. Yes I do recognize it... you must have changed the colors for me... to surprise me... I thought... it doesn't matter," he breathed, caught up in the sliding motions of Mikhail's hand as it slid lower on his own torso. "You're so beautiful, Mikhail." 

"Yes, yes, love." He reached out and ran a long finger over Fox's ripe lips. "I have a present for you." 

"You do?" Fox was delighted and he sat up on his knees like a small child eager for treasure. 

"Yes, over there on the table," Mikhail breathed leaning forward to kiss the whiskered skin over Fox's jaw. Later he would bathe and groom his little pet. 

Fox grinned and hurried to the table. He stumbled over a pile of thick clothing and fell to the floor. He chuckled a bit as Mikhail slid to his side with a movement so fast that Fox wondered how he had done it. One moment Mikhail had been half-laying on the other side of the bed the next he was at Fox's side a look of concern on his achingly lovely face. 

"Don't worry, Mikhail... I am not going to break... I guess I haven't gotten many presents before. A little too eager aren't I?" He grinned as Mikhail helped him to his feet. "You move fast, I should remember that." 

Mikhail frowned, there was something working in Fox's mind, something he could not feel... could not touch. "Why should you remember that?" His voice was deceptively smooth, but his eyes were intent. 

Fox smiled and made his way to his gift, "In case I ever have to run from you, of course, silly," he teased with a grin, but his eyes had some secret thought burning deep in their jeweled depths. 

"I won't ever let that happen, love, you know that," Mikhail purred dangerously. A feral delight curved his face as Fox's face jerked toward him, a light of fear in his suddenly wide eyes. He let his true face show for a moment, enough to shake loose whatever little strength his lover was holding on to, but he quickly masked it and flooded Fox's mind with images of love and happiness. Fox moaned and trembled and Mikhail stroked his face. "It's all right, love, you just fell. You're okay now," he soothed. 

Fox felt dizzy as if he _had_ hit his head. Had he? Mikhail drew him close and he wrapped his arms about the lithe waist wondering why he was expecting to feel hard muscle and a bigger body. Still the returned embrace was strong. "I fell. But it's okay now," he whispered. 

"Yes, love. Now. Why don't you open your gift?" 

"Gift?" Fox asked, confused. He felt like he was drowning... like he couldn't breathe. Something calmed him, some secret thought that flashed so quickly through his mind that he almost couldn't understand it. It was that _he_ would come for him and bring him back to... to who? He smiled at Mikhail and reached for his present. What was he worried about? He was eager to see what Mikhail had brought him. He didn't want to think about anything else... nothing but Mikhail... nothing else mattered. He barely heard Mikhail saying those very same things. 

He held the little box in his hand, there was an expense jeweler's name written in gold script on the black box. He gave Mikhail a curious stare. "You are giving me jewelry?" 

Mikhail tilted his head and licked his upper lip with anticipation. "Open it, Fox." 

Fox sighed once and then he opened his gift to reveal the two gold hoops resting on black velvet. He stared at them for a moment before raising his eyes to Mikhail, a little confused frown marring the smooth skin of his brow. "They're... lovely... really, but I don't have pierced ears... at least I don't think I do," he finished with a bewildered tilt of his head. 

Mikhail chuckled, the sound husky and sensual. He slid behind Fox and moved him to face the floor length, ornate mirror before them. He stared into Fox's eyes in the reflection, wondering how it was possible for so many colors to exist in those brilliant eyes. He was lost for a moment in the swirl of amber and blue and lighter green barely visible in the moss eyes. He trailed his fingers down the shells of Fox's ears and kissed the tender spot where throat met neck and he bit lightly, teasing himself with the promise of blood. "They aren't for your ears, love," he husked as his hands trailed down to Fox's chest where he traced gentle patterns around the tight nipples, plucking at the responsive flesh and sighing with pleasure as Fox moaned and pushed his chest into Mikhail's hands. 

"They aren't?" Fox breathed. His eyes were sliding closed at the skilled way Mikhail was caressing him. 

"No," Mikhail laughed huskily. "They are for someplace far more sensitive on you, your nipples. Shh, don't frown so, I will be gentle. I want to see you bejeweled there, I want to know that every time the merest hint of cloth touches you, you will feel such pleasure that your legs will ache to part like the insatiable, sensitive concubine you are. That you will ache to be taken, fucked, licked, and drained. It will pleasure me so. You do want to pleasure me don't you, love 

Fox didn't like being called a concubine. He was Mikhail's lover, not his concubine, but he did want to please him. More than he could say. It was if to displease him was unthinkable, horrible. It was love he supposed as he lowered his head and reluctantly agreed. "Yes, of course, but..." 

"No buts, I will pierce these tonight!" Mikhail grinned as he pinched Mulder's nipples. He chuckled as Fox simultaneously arched like a cat at the pleasure of the touch and gasped and opened his eyes wide at the words. 

"What!" he choked out. 

"Yes, love. It would please me greatly to know that your sensitive flesh is being teased under your clothes... under my tongue..." 

"You don't have to put those on me to do that, you do it already," Fox protested. 

"Yes, I do don't I? But I want to do this my little concubine... so sweet and lovely," Mikhail breathed, his burgeoning erection pressing into Fox's buttocks. 

Fox bridled again at the term concubine. He frowned then, "I am pretty sure I can't have pierced nipples... it... it is against all regulations I am sure." He stopped at that and a flash of a memory flashed in front of him, as if another reflection in the mirror, this reflection turning he and Mikhail's reflections into shades... a big man standing behind a desk, his face strained and his glasses fogged. file://'Regulations, Mulder, ever hear that word before?' the man growled. A soft feminine giggle to his right and the sharp eyes of the big man turned toward the sound. 'This is funny to you? Am I amusing you?' A sexy female voice apologizing quickly... and he was shaking//... .no he was being shaken. His teeth rattled in his head and he tried to escape the suddenly cruel hands holding him. The reflection in the mirror folded in on itself and he was staring at himself and his furious lover once more. He grew rigid as the eyes held him in thrall yet again... not black anymore but fiery red. 

"You will forget, Fox, you will forget if I have to strip you memory for memory. If it takes forever... you _will_ forget," Mikhail hissed and there was such ferocity in his tone that all the silk was gone, youthful tones replaced by hardness and age. He stared into Fox's unseeing eyes and he seethed. What was it about this one that was so hard to bring to heel? How could he resist what no other had resisted before? He pushed the stiff body toward the bed and shoved it down to lie sprawled and inviting, eyes staring at the ceiling, unmoving. "Why are you so stubborn, little human? Why are you such a trial? Is it because you know somehow that the ascendant comes for you? If that is it, than you waste your time. He can never get close enough... if I have to travel the world with you then I will, but you are mine now. Do you understand me?" 

"Yes," Fox whispered. 

"I wonder if you do. I will convince you of it," he hissed as he slid over Fox. He held his lover's face to his own and stared into his eyes. "I will make you forget, love, I'll make you forget forever." His voice had smoothed out as his lips touched the softness of Fox's. His kiss was gentle and his touch was almost paternal as he caressed away a lock of hair that had fallen down over the smooth forehead. "This might hurt, love, but I want you to think of the one thing you want to remember," he whispered. He was taking a risk he knew, for if Fox thought of the ascendant than he would come and Mikhail knew he would likely not survive the wrath of the one that hunted him. But he thought he knew what his pet would remember, the pretty Alex. Fox's eyes went wide then and Mikhail knew he was thinking of Alex. He could just see the flashes of memory, such lovely memories, such erotic and tender memories. 

"Yes, think of everything you love about him, and then I will take them from you, every one of them," Mikhail smiled down at Fox as one by one he took Fox's memories of Alex, hiding them so deep in Fox's mind that he would never be able to reclaim them. When it was done Fox lay curled on his side, his eyes wide and wounded, as if his very reason for living had been taken from him. 

Mikhail chuckled. "I could paint the room green, a lovely shade of jade, and you would not care would you, love?" Fox did not respond, but Mikhail did not care. "I wish I could do the same to your memories of the other, but I cannot risk that. But it was Alex you gave your soul to wasn't it, love? Was he your little strength? Was he? I have never known such love as that which you tried to cling to, but at least it explains your fight. I will remember him for you, Fox. I will remember his midnight hair and cat eyes." He chuckled, it was cruel perhaps, but Fox didn't know what he was talking about anyway. "Now, let's see to these," Mikhail soothed as he stroked one of Fox's nipples. "Let's make these even more lovely for me shall we, my little concubine?" 

* * *

**Day Ten  
Hour 2130**

It was when Skinner was fed images of Fox, staring wide-eyed up at his abductor, lips parted in pain and wet need as Mikhail pierced the tender flesh of Fox's nipples, that Walter realized that he would not succeed in his endeavor... not in the way he was going about it. He stopped his run and the solution hovered just on the horizon of awareness, maddeningly illusive. There was something he was missing, some revelation, some method of advance that would assure him of swift victory. Fox's gasp as his flesh was pierced, the rise of his chest as he arched in response to pain. "Damn you," Skinner growled, his words carried on twirling vapor in the cold night. Mikhail assuring Fox that he was beautiful, that he was made for such attention, that he could never resist, that he was too insatiable to allow pride or pain or fear keep him from spreading his legs. Skinner clenched his fists as Mikhail indoctrinated Fox again and again, the words repeated by Fox even as his other nipple was pierced. He heard Fox's assurance to Mikhail that yes he would never refuse sex, that yes whenever he was touched he would _need_ sex. It made Skinner burn in rage... but only in the part of him that loved Fox and loved his independence. But there was another part of him that relished such wanton capitulation, that craved it for his own benefit, that wondered what a trained little Fox would be like... how would it feel to know Fox would beg and pant on command? He flushed, angry now at himself. 

He forced his thoughts away from the illicit images, forced himself to ignore the vision of beauty Mikhail sent him before retreating once more into obscurity and darkness. He was thankful actually that he could not see Fox anymore. It was too conflicting to see his lover taken by another and at the same time wanting him so badly he ached... ached for the rigid flesh of Fox's cock to plump and weep for him. He passed several of the zombie creatures who were feeding on an old man and recognizing them instantly he burned them as he passed. He had almost forgotten the incident when realization hit him suddenly. He groaned, the sound unconsciously mimicking those of the creatures he had killed. He hadn't had to think of them, had sensed them so easily that they were easy prey for him... because he had seen so many of them. Just as the Schell and the wolves were easier to kill with familiarity, so too could his hunt for Mikhail sharpen with familiarity... not familiarity solely with the ancient thing that had stolen Fox, but with any vampire. 

It was so simple really. He need only find a group of humans, mask his own power and wait for a vampire to come. They were plentiful, he'd found enough bloodless corpses on his journey to tell him that. He would find as many vampires as he could, learn their weaknesses, for surely their strength was in seduction and mind control. Once learned, he would be able to track Mikhail with speed and vengeance. It took him only minutes to find a large group of humans who were, interestingly enough, on their way toward Fort Bragg. He hid what he was with a nervous smile and introduced himself to the man who seemed to be in charge. 

* * *

**Day Fifteen  
Hour 1900**

The room was a different room than before, but Fox didn't notice. He would recognize any room that he was with Mikhail in. "I want to be inside you," Fox whispered in Mikhail's ear. He stroked the silken strands of black hair with near reverence. Black hair was so lovely. He heard the small chuckle that his words caused. He kissed Mikhail's throat, working his lips upward to cover the graceful jaw. "I want to make love to you," he sighed, moving to cover Mikhail's body with his own. 

"No, my sweet. That isn't what I want from you," Mikhail chuckled. Fox's eyes rose to meet his and the little pout on his lips was enchanting. "You are sweet to want it, but I have never enjoyed that particular arrangement. You understand don't you? That position is for a more submissive type." 

Fox narrowed his eyes in contemplation. Somehow the words did not ring true. Making love was a give and take, a sharing of bodies, not a role-playing experiment. "I thought..." 

"No, love, don't think. You aren't required to do that either." He lifted Fox from the bed and brought him once more to yet another floor length mirror. "You just need to look beautiful, and give me your sweet surrender." Mikhail played with the newly pierced nipples, lapping greedily at Fox's throat. "You want to surrender, don't you, sweet Fox?" 

"Oh yes." Fox sighed. 

"Look at me. Mirrors don't lie. Love. They show what we are, even when we don't want to see it." Mikhail saw himself, as he was in the mirror. Old. Changed by countless centuries of feeding. His skin was pale, his eyes red. The contrast of his visage against Fox's was such a lovely one. Fox was so beautiful, so ripe. When his hands traveled down to Fox's lean stomach he allowed their true length to show, allowed Fox to see the truth. He nipped at the flesh and drew a small, hot swallow of blood. 

Fox shook his head as his beautiful lover faded, replaced by an image of horror, and still he wanted him. He felt the sucking at his throat, the hot pulsing pull of his blood drawn into that wide mouth. When his cock was stroked, ever so gently he pushed into the clawed hand. The man... the thing behind him was so much taller than he had thought, was slim still, but the strength in that frame was considerable. Why would he resist? He was hard, he wanted to be taken. It was what he was made for, to please Mikhail. He parted his lips as Mikhail drank, such gentle, sucking sips. "I want you," he moaned. 

"Do you see me?" 

"Yes." 

"Watch yourself then, love. Watch yourself get fucked. See how lovely you look as I take you." Mikhail's lips were stained with blood, wet and hungry. 

Some part of Fox recoiled from this, recoiled from what was happening, knew it was wrong, but his body wanted it... somehow needed it. His heart ached for something he couldn't remember, but it was in the act of surrender that he found comfort. He knew, without true understanding that he wanted to submit... .though submission was so unfamiliar. He spread his legs further apart, staring into Mikhail's red eyes. 

"Are you mine?" Mikhail crooned, lapping greedily at the trickle of blood his fangs had brought forth. 

"Yes." 

"Then spread yourself for me, spread yourself wide," Mikhail crooned. 

Fox reached behind himself, grasping his own buttocks, pulling them apart, gasping in lust at feeling the cool air on his anus. He wanted to be filled, to be fucked. When he felt the nudge of hard flesh at his willing entrance, he sighed. "Yes." 

"You are so beautiful, little Fox. You are mine." 

file://Mine// The word, the declaration. Spoken in a husky voice, so familiar... so wanted. It meant something to him, but what? His heart surged to remember, but it was gone. "Mine," he repeated, he wanted to see another reflection in the mirror. "Mikhail... take me... I want something... help me." 

"I will only take you, love," Mikhail promised. "You only want to be taken... you don't need love." 

"I don't need love," Fox repeated as the slide of cold flesh claimed him. He wound his hands about Mikhail's neck, his body moving with every small thrust. 

"Watch how your body moves, watch how your cock bounces. Do you need more than this? I want more. Beg me." 

"Please... oh yes... uh, Mikh... please don't stop." He gasped at the sting of teeth on his neck. He could feel his legs trembling with the strain, parted and bent. The sight in the mirror repelled him as it made him moan. His blood was trickling in lazy trails down his chest, circling round the gold in his nipples. The face that was bent over his throat was so pale, little black lines a spiderweb of veins tracing under the parchment flesh, lidless eyes burned crimson. He tore his eyes from the ancient visage and looked at his own body, not recognizing himself in the mirror, watching his cock sway with every thrust. The pleasure was working its way through every part of him, until his toes curled and he leaned deeper into the thrusts. This was all that there was, this time with Mikhail. His vision began to blur and he was vaguely aware that Mikhail had lifted his face from his neck, blood smearing the wide mouth. 

Mikhail withdrew from his feast reluctantly, it was too sweet, too thick. He thrust faster into his sweet pet and reached around the slim torso, slid one long fingernail over the pierced, left nipple, noting with a satisfied chuckle, that Fox was too far gone to even know that he cried out in protest. He grasped the pretty cock in his hand, hissing at the heat of it, the gorgeous, human heat of it. "You are so perfect, love, so hot and tight." He couldn't resist another lap at the blood on Fox's wide shoulder, his tongue stroking over the bunched muscles there. He tried to gentle out his thrusts, but he was too excited, the scent of his lovely Fox, his blood, his semen so ready to flow. He felt the presence just as he felt his orgasm tear into Fox. It was only a moment of awareness, but it was enough to save him. He turned with Fox in front of him, facing the door, eyes skittering madly about the room until they alighted on the window. 

The door rippled and glowed before disappearing and the human ascendant was there, his eyes glowing as red as Mikhail's. Mikhail screamed in rage and thrust his sweet pet toward the deadly creature just as he felt an intense, hateful heat encompass him. He raised his hands to see they were burning. His eyes met those of his enemy and he noted the small smile on the strong face before he turned and fled toward the window. 

Fox fell to the floor, but when he saw Mikhail begin to burn he cried out in pain. Gone was the hideous mask, to be replaced by the beauty of his lover, the frightened face was so young and tortured. He heard Mikhail whisper in his mind, "Help me, love." He saw Mikhail hurtle himself toward the window and could just make out the movement of the big stranger. With the last of his strength he heaved himself off the floor and tackled the big man. The room began to burn as Mikhail's flaming body spiraled its way through the window the heat so intense that the curtain went up in flames, the flames dancing from there to the bed. Fox reached toward his lover just as the stranger gathered him up and raced from the house with him in his big arms. 

"No! Let me go! Mikhail!" Fox screamed. The stranger made small soothing noises in his ear as he brought him far from the lonely house, the flames arcing out of the uppermost window like greedy hands waving at him. 

"It will be all right, Fox, it'll be all right." 

The last thought Fox had before he succumbed to the lack of blood was, "He knows my name" 

* * *

**Fort Bragg, California  
Day Sixteen   
Hour 1730**

Alex sat on the top of one of the hundreds of abandoned cars that had been parked in a field for future recycling. The work to clean up the roads was tedious and yet the people working this particular detail were happy to do it, it was a positive step to making life normal once more... well if not normal than not so Orwellian. The absence of stalled cars lining every roadway was beginning to make the landscape look less lonely. He was throwing rocks out past the last of the cars, measuring each stone's weight in his hands before sending it sailing into the air. He heard the sound of footsteps and turned to see Frohike bearing down on him. He sighed and hung his head down, he was beginning to really like the strange man, but he was in no mood for company... it had been nearly two weeks since Fox had been taken and his nerves were as frayed as they could get and still leave him sane. Frankly he was surprised that Garren had let him go off alone, he had been a constant shadow since he had arrived that horrible night. That he had slipped away from Garren and not actually told him he was leaving was of no small part of his solitude. Still, Garren was generally impossible to elude. 

"Hey, Krycek, Dana told me I could find you here." Frohike set down the satchel he was carrying and picked up some loose stones and began to toss them as well, standing in front of the car, leaning back against the hood. After several minutes of silence he sneaked a look at Krycek, the man was simply staring at a stone in his hand. 

"Man, I know you're worried about Mulder, but he's tough... and Skinner? Forget about it! He'll bring him back real soon," Frohike assured the silent man. 

Alex grinned a bit, but it was a sad look. "I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, Frohike, really I do, but something about the fact that the man I love is being raped daily and me not being able to do anything about it, kinda makes getting cheered up a little hard," Krycek drawled. He threw the rock forcefully and the muscles in his jaw danced wildly. "A fucking vampire has him! If Skinner were such a fucking God don't you think he would have found Fox by now?" he growled. 

"Man, you don't know what that bloodsucker is doing to him! Maybe he just keeps him around for a snack or something," Frohike suggested with no real conviction. "Besides, you know what Garren said... Mulder... if he is even touched... won't be like unwilling you know? I mean he'll think all is rosy... so I mean..." 

"Frohike, you are not helping!" Alex growled. 

Frohike sighed. "I know. I'm worried too," he admitted. 

Alex nodded and tried to smile at the little man, but it came out as a grimace. "I know you are." 

"I know I'm not his main squeeze or anything like that, but I don't like the idea of him being some take-out blood bag for some vamp! We saw some the night he and I went looking for you, you know." 

"Vampires?" Alex asked. He was stung, while Fox had gone looking for him not knowing where he was, but going anyway, he stayed put. And to top it off he was getting fucked mindless by Garren more than once a day. 

"Yeah, some pretty things too they were. Serious hubba hubba kinda gals," Frohike grinned. He elbowed the man that less than a month ago he would have fainted had he had to talk to, "Old Mulder, he knew to run, knew they were blood sucking honeys... course they couldn't keep up with us... we were much too fast. He's a smart guy that Mulder. He just knows things... like... well you know what I mean." 

"Yeah," Alex whispered. 

Frohike patted the muscled thigh with a quick, awkward motion. "Hey, he'll be okay... he's been through more than most and come out on the other side fine. He's got nine lives... ten... no _twenty_ lives, Krycek, he'll be fine. You'll see!" 

Alex turned fierce eyes to Frohike and even though the little man knew he and the dangerous man were tight compadres, he shivered a bit in fear at the expression. 

"I know the bastard won't kill him... I know he won't, but I can't stand that Fox might be scared... might be lost... might be wanting me to find him, and I'm sitting on my ass in the middle of some field. I can't think about him hurting... being... fuck... _touched_ over and over... while I fucking move cars like a good little boy! I'm going crazy!" 

"Garren says that..." 

"I do _not_ want to hear what Garren has to say," Alex growled. 

Frohike nodded in understanding. Everyone knew what Garren and Alex did... and though Alex glowered at the big man... or wolf... whatever he was, it was pretty clear that Alex wasn't exactly fighting Garren off. Just that morning Langly had seen the two men embracing in what Langly had called a "not for Prime Time" way. Frohike wondered if he should have a little talk with Garren... but whenever the man spoke to him, even just in passing, Frohike thought of other things that had to be done... anything but confront the man who was invading Mulder's territory. 

"Uh, when Mulder comes back with Skinner, what are you going to tell him about you and... you and Garren?" Frohike asked. 

Alex jerked and turned a glare on Frohike. "What do you mean?" 

Frohike swallowed convulsively. "You know..." 

"No, I don't know," Alex growled. 

"You two seem pretty hot and bothered," Frohike squeaked. 

Alex flushed and he realized it was true. Garren had to no more than look in his direction and he went to him. They had fucked so many times, Alex was surprised he could even sit down, let alone walk. What the hell _was_ he going to do when Fox returned. Garren sure as hell wasn't going to fade away into the background and Alex wasn't even sure he wanted him to. Every night he slept within Garren's embrace and woke to the big man loving him. It wasn't love though, Alex knew. He knew what love was. He hung his head down. "I don't know. You know I love Fox don't you, Frohike?" He couldn't believe that he was even asking this. But this was one of Fox's friends. If Frohike believed it than maybe Fox would too. 

"Yeah, I know, Krycek. Everyone knows... of course Dana thinks you don't... I mean not anymore, what with the way you and Garren are so tight, but me and the Gunmen..." 

"Dana doesn't believe that I love him?" Alex gasped. Shit. If she didn't then he was doomed. Even if Fox did he would follow Dana's example. "Shit, what has she said?" 

Krycek looked so lost that Frohike felt sorry for him. For the first time he actually realized how young the assassin was. He put a hand on Krycek's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. "Don't sweat it, Krycek, she hasn't said much, just the regular 'what in the hell is he doing' type comment. You know when you and the big guy go off and make all that racket at night... in the morning... you know 

Alex groaned. "I don't know what's wrong with me. If I'm not worrying about Fox, I'm... well with Garren. Shit. You know what? I don't even deserve him," Alex spat. There was a look of total clarity on his face. 

"Who?" 

"Fox!" Alex barked out. "Who did you think I meant... no forget I asked. It's obvious who you thought. Jesus. I should just leave with Garren now and spare Fox all of it." He jumped off the car and Frohike looked at him as if he'd gone mad. "What? You think Fox would _like_ to see his lover acting like a bitch in heat? You think he would want me anyway when he finds out what I've done? He'll... hate me." He saw a group of men approaching but for the first time in a long time he didn't really _see_ them, didn't measure up their potential threat. 

"No, he won't hate you, Krycek. It's obvious that Garren has some hold over you. Mulder will understand... heck he might even find a way to get Garren to leave!" Frohike didn't want his buddy to go. He knew that it would devastate Mulder. "Mulder loves you, you know. He..." 

"So, what do we have here?" one of the approaching men called out playfully, a look of intent appreciation on his face. "You know, I do believe it is one of the two sweethearts from the night of the big bash." He smiled at Krycek and held out his hand. "My name's Joey, and I sure want to get to know you. All of us do." 

Alex groaned this he didn't need right now. He ignored the offered hand and raised one black brow. "Joey? Why don't you kiss my ass!" 

Joey grinned and cracked his knuckles. His hands were huge and covered with a generous smattering of bright red hair. "Oh well, what a nice idea. Why don't I kiss your little ass?" He looked to his two companions. "Brad, Ray, sweetie here wants me to kiss his ass, what d'ya think I should do boys?" 

The smallest of the three snickered and spit a wad of phlegm onto the ground. "I think you should do as he asks. He obviously wants it. Remember how he was pawing up on that other pretty boy? Want me to kiss your ass too, sweetcheeks? Just say, Ray, please kiss my ass... I'll be all over it." 

Alex smiled, "Yeah, Ray. Why don't you kiss my ass too?" 

Frohike cleared his throat and tried to inject a little rational thinking into the mix. "We don't want any trouble guys. But you can have some if you like." He pushed back the edges of his vest to reveal his two deadly gals. "As you can see, I'm packing," he said smugly. He gave a little gasp as he was tugged toward the third man and relieved of his weapons in short order. Alex groaned behind him and Frohike shrugged helplessly. "They got the drop on me, Krycek," he offered. He wasn't too worried. Krycek could take care of it now. He had done his part. 

"You have a nice mouth, but I want him," Brad said, tossing one of the guns aside and holding onto one. He had a hard face and a newly broken nose. A Shark's cap covered his head, but the hair beneath was too long and grimy. "You know, pretty," he said, looking back to Alex, "I tried to make your little friend from the party play nice with me and some of my other pals, but he wanted to play hard to get. When he gets back from wherever the hell he is, you can tell him what he missed out on 

Alex narrowed his eyes, "What the fuck are you talking about?" He wanted to just get it over with and take these idiots out, had in fact been ready to so before the third man had spoken. 

"Your pretty friend, I was romancing him the other day, but he didn't want to play. Maybe he was sore from playing with you." All three men chuckled at that. 

"Yeah I bet he was sore. I bet this one fucked him all night long after the party. He sure looked like he wanted to be fucked," Joey laughed. In truth he couldn't imagine another time in his life when he'd wanted someone more than he wanted this man and his pretty companion. There was something so... so slutty about them... something so hot... like they were made to be fucked, made to please a man. He knew some of the women would disagree with him, because he'd heard them talking about the two pretties and the three strangely attractive men they were with. It didn't make sense to him, but he wasn't going to spend one more blue-balled moment wondering how a straight man could lust after another man. He just wanted him that was all he knew. 

Alex had the guy on the ground and Frohike's gun pointed to his suddenly shocked face in seconds. Frohike nodded at the remaining two. "I warned you," he sighed. 

"What did you do to him, fucker? Did you touch him? Did you?" Alex was almost glad to have this scene. He needed it somehow. It made him feel like he was in control if only for this moment. 

"I didn't do nothing. He was asking for it, sitting there in the library all alone and so pretty... but I swear we didn't do anything," Brad whined, he was breathless in fear. How could someone so pretty be so fast, so strong? 

"Asking for it?" Alex growled. "What'd he do, flip a page in a boring book too sensually? Or was it the way he pushes his glasses up when he reads something he finds interesting?" The image of Fox doing just that, or falling asleep on his desk reading was a painful reminder of what he had lost. 

"He was just there, smelling so good, looking so hot... please don't shoot... he wanted it. You know, he was moaning and stretching while you touched him that night in front of God and the world... he wants it," the man repeated desperately. 

"He's my fucking lover, you piece of shit. You think because he wants me that makes him open season to any guy with a hard dick? Do you?" 

"No!" Brad gasped, "No, we just wanted some fun... you are so pretty... can't I just kiss you?" 

Alex was shocked. Here the guy was with a gun to his head and he was talking about kissing him! He heard Frohike gasp and saw that the second gun had been placed to the little man's head by Joey. He tensed, thinking of how intent Joey was on pulling the trigger. He didn't now when he had started to care what happened to Fox's odd friends but he did, Frohike especially. He turned his gun to train it on Joey. "You step away from him," he commanded. "I'm going to get up and the three of you are going to leave." 

"I'll shoot him, pretty as he is, if you don't put down that gun and lay on your stomach," Joey barked as he put the little man between Alex and himself. "I mean it, Alex," he ordered. He loved the way the green-eyed man's name sounded. Everyone knew his name. Everyone wanted to touch him, to have him look at them with something other than cold disinterest. He was going to be the one to make Alex come harder than he'd ever come. He knew it. Alex would love him after he got a taste of what he had for him. He'd make him love him. 

Alex calculated the odds of getting to Frohike before the bastard actually shot him and he cursed silently as he set the gun down and slid off the big man beneath him onto his stomach in the dirt. 

"Get them handcuffs we brought to play with," Joey ordered. He watched as Ray jumped to place the handcuffs on the beautiful man's hands and he rubbed his crotch. "Oh yeah, now we're going to play." He pushed at Frohike and the smell of the little man made him hotter, but he would get a piece of that later. "Go on, boy, get in that car there and stay out our way." 

Frohike shook his head, "No way, I'm not leaving. Sh-shoot me if you want, but I'm not l-leaving." 

"Oh so you want to watch us fuck him? Sure thing, cutie, you can watch. Watch and learn." To his companions he said, "Take off his pants. Let's see his ass." 

"Alex, do you think you might want to tell me where you are going more often? Or do you just like pretending that everything is as it was?" 

Alex groaned, recognizing Garren's voice. He would never convince Garren that he was in control, but he had been. As soon as Frohike was out of the line of fire he had intended to take them out. He didn't need his hands to deal with this scum. 

"Hey, get your own, big guy, this piece is ours now," Joey growled as Garren leaned against the very car Frohike had been directed to. He swallowed his fear down. The man was huge, but they had guns. 

"Oh is he now?" Garren said calmly, that calm belied in the light of fury in his eyes. "What makes him yours, just for sake of conversation of course," he continued. 

"Oh for Christ's sake," Alex seethed. Just what he needed, Garren wanting to toy with these guys. 

"'Cause he is," the Shark fan spat. "Finders keepers, losers weepers," he taunted inanely. "You lost him, we found him. Now he's ours." To emphasize his point Brad placed one booted foot over Alex's ass. 

"I know you can get up, cat, do so and take your little friend with you. I don't think you want to be here anymore," Garren said gently. He didn't want his mate to see the violence if he could help it. His little cat had seen so much already in his very young life. 

The man whose foot rested on Alex, put more weight on him. "He ain't goin anywhere, mister," Brad sneered. "He's gonna stay here and get fucked." 

Garren narrowed his eyes and with sure speed he descended on the foolish human, knocking him back and away from his mate. He bent to bring Alex to his feet, running a gentle hand down the bound arms, blue eyes searching jade, bending down to kiss the top of Alex's head, smelling the scent of anger though no fear. He almost chuckled, but it was his mate's misguided courage that had allowed him to be mauled by these men. 

Alex closed his eyes and pulled away from Garren with a slight roll of his eyes. "Stop smelling me," he growled. He looked at Frohike who was just realizing that they were on top again. He had to smile at the look on the little man's face, it was a mix between triumphant and confused, his glasses were askew and his hair, what little of it there was at the top, was standing up in wild tufts. 

"Go on, Alex, later we'll discuss the wisdom of you going off alone. For now I think I'll teach these men not to touch what is mine." Garren trailed his gaze over his mate's face, the dirt clinging to the smooth skin a reminder of what these men had planned to do. He restrained his rage with effort. His hand reached out to touch that pretty face, but Alex made his sound of disapproval, a little hiss between clenched teeth. 

"I do _not_ need you to fight my battles, Garren, I was doing fine without you," Alex said wearily. It reminded him too much of he and Fox arguing. Only in this case, he really could take care of himself and Fox needed help despite all his 'I'm a full-grown man and an agent to boot' shit. 

"Go, Alex, before I decide another punishment is called for," Garren threatened. 

"I am not going to be in danger from a bunch of yahoos..." 

"Alex!" Garren warned. 

"He's right, Garren... we can take care of things from here," Frohike stated. He hitched up his pants and patted at his chest a bit before remembering that his girls had been taken from him. He and Alex would teach the bastards a lesson. As soon as Alex got those cuffs off. 

For one moment Garren stared at the strange little man, a look of surprise on his face. "You can stay if you like, little man, but Alex will leave." 

Frohike looked to Alex just as the smallest of the three would-be rapists made to grab at Alex. Frohike stumbled back in fear as Garren descended on the encroaching man with a strange growl. Garren grabbed Ray and had the little man up and off the ground dangling wildly from one large hand. Ray was desperately trying to peel away the fingers of Garren's hand from his neck. His legs kicked uselessly. 

Garren ignored him for one last moment. "Go, Alex. Now!" 

Brad leapt to his friend's aid and Garren batted him away like an annoying fly. The man flew back, landing so hard his cap flew off. Joey grabbed up Frohike's discarded gun and pointed it at Garren, trembling when the man just smiled at him. "You'll be sorry you messed with us, kid," he promised in a voice gone suddenly soprano. 

"Uh, Alex, maybe we should regroup... closer to Antonio," Frohike hissed. He could swear that Garren's teeth were getting longer. He grabbed at Alex's arm and started to tug on him. He saw ten other men coming toward them and he shook at Alex, "No! Look! They have reinforcements!" 

Alex looked and his eyes quickly returned to Garren. "You'll probably want us to run now, huh?" He was decidedly disgruntled. 

Garren shook the little human in his grasp, just a bit, "No, cat, they are here to take you back to the cabin," Garren grinned at Alex's expression. Oh, why had he never taken a mate before? Especially one as contrary as his Alex 

Alex almost blew at that, but when Garren began to change Frohike pulled on him with such force he was almost pulled off his feet. "Frohike," he growled in warning. 

"We are so _out_ of here," Frohike squeaked as the skin on Garren's face began to ripple. 

Joey began to shoot wildly, turning to aim back over his shoulder as he ran away. Alex knocked Frohike to the ground to avoid the bullets. Frohike raised his eyes off the ground, his glasses askew, his mouth working in soundless terror as half of Ray was thrown in front of he and Alex. Severed in half by some terrible force Ray's upper torso and head flopped for a brief moment before laying still. "Oh... okay... oh okay," he whispered, shuddering. 

Alex heard a scream and the gunfire suddenly stopped. He pushed at Frohike and while the little man's eyes were trained to the corpse he was easily moved. "Get the keys, Frohike," Alex urged, but Frohike just kept staring at Ray's corpse. Alex slid to his feet and looked to see that Garren was fully changed and dragging Joey back toward his dead companion. The ten pack members were changing from human to wolf and back again, the sight more frightening than anything else Alex had seen. They circled around Brad and he was blubbering like a baby, begging for God to save him. "The keys," he hissed. 

Frohike shook his head as he knew very well where the keys were, in the front pocket of Ray's shirt pocket. "Okay," he whispered, the words belying his shaking head. He made to move toward the dead man, but a wolf grabbed up the torso, blood draining wildly in crimson arches that splattered Frohike and Alex with a hot shower. When the wolf tore into the still-warm throat, Frohike was up and pulling on Alex. "Forget the keys," he screamed as he tore off, one hand clutched to Alex's T-shirt. He pulled so hard that Alex stumbled and a wolf tore the little man away from Alex with a threatening growl. 

"Go now, cat," Garren seethed, the smell of blood and the lingering smell of the men's lust a maddening mixture. "GO!" he roared as his cat still seemed to disobey. With one look at the offending wolf it slinked away from Frohike. 

Alex looked to Frohike who was frantically waving his hands in a desperate, 'come on' gesture and he finally fled, his arms still manacled behind him. Almost immediately the screams of Joey and Brad began. 

"Where is Antonio when you need him?" Frohike huffed as his legs churned furiously to keep up with Alex. 

Alex just glared at the little man. Frohike was much too involved in serpentining his way away from the sounds of screaming to notice, but Alex heard the sound of pursuit. He looked over his shoulder to see the ten wolves close behind, but not trying to overtake them. He was going to kill Garren, the wolves really were escorting him. He slowed then and Frohike slowed with him. 

"What is it?" he gasped. 

"Why are we running?" Alex complained. 

"Because... hello... Garren told us to get out and he was growing hair and teeth at the time!" Frohike asserted with a look at Alex that clearly bespoke of his growing concern for Alex's sanity. 

Alex was kept from responding to that when Antonio appeared in front of them. He had time to open his mouth to gasp before he and Frohike were grabbed and then dizzying darkness. The world spun and his stomach heaved until he found himself on his knees inside Antonio's cabin. 

"Antonio, what in the world?" Scully asked as she hurried over to the three men. 

Maggie Scully rose from her position on the couch and set her cup of tea aside as she made her way to Antonio's side. She placed one, cool hand on his bare arm. "Dear, maybe you should get dressed," she suggested, her eyes travelling over his still wet, nude frame. 

Antonio grinned and returned to the bathroom where the shower was still running. He had been rinsing out the shampoo in his thick hair when he had felt the call of his sweet, little man, Frohike. 

Scully inspected Alex first until she was satisfied that the blood covering him was not his own. She was nodding at the appropriate moments as Frohike regaled her with the tale of his and Alex's battle. She looked into Alex's tired eyes and said, "I don't suppose you have the keys for these do you, Krycek?" 

He closed his eyes and shook his head. Why was it when people were upset with him, he reverted to Krycek? He knew without asking that Scully was upset with him because of Garren... or more precisely because of his behavior with Garren. The concern she had for him was evident in the gentle little touches on his arms as she tried to figure out how to get off the handcuffs, but she was above all things, loyal to Mulder. And if she saw a possible problem for him she would automatically try to erase it. He only hoped she didn't think that meant erasing Alex from his life. 

Antonio came out of the back rooms, an olive green robe wrapped negligently about him. "Though you look lovely on your knees, Alex, I think you would prefer to be released from those," he chuckled as with a small click the manacles fell off. 

Frohike looked out the window and gave a small whoop of excitement. "Wait 'til I tell the guys about this, Krycek!" With that he opened the door and hurried over to meet Langly and Byers who had just bicycled back from the town. "Guys, you want to hear something wild?" he asked before the door swung shut behind him. 

Alex flexed his arms and stood, he looked at Scully and found her eyes trained on him. 

"Want to tell me what happened, Krycek?" she asked. 

Though she stood casually, Alex could just see her with her arms akimbo, her small foot tapping out an impatient rhythm. "Some men from the town wanted to play a game with Frohike and I... they... got distracted and Antonio appeared out of nowhere and here I am. End of story." He looked at Maggie Scully who was shaking her head with a peeved look on her face. 

"Don't forget about the wolfmen running after you, pretty," Antonio grinned. 

Scully's mouth tightened at that. "Let me guess, the wonderful Garren was part of this." Her eyes were glittering dangerously. 

"He came after... well he killed the men, at least one anyway," Alex explained with a tone that suggested he would rather not go into it further. 

Maggie sighed at all the weirdness that surrounded her. How many people had come up to her to ask about Dana, the three cute Gunmen, and Alex and Fox? If that wasn't bad enough, it didn't look like anyone cared for common decency anymore. They could care less that she was Dana's mother, they just kept talking about her as if she were some sort of sex goddess... and the things they said about Mulder! It was just disgusting! Now this poor dear had been handcuffed and dallied with, it was enough to make any mother furious. "That's enough, you two," she scolded, her raised brow directed at both Antonio and Dana. "Alex here has been through an ordeal, he doesn't need to explain anything." She bustled over to Alex and grasped his arm firmly, marching him toward the door. "You are going to go take a shower, you're filthy... then you are going to take a little nap." She held up her free hand and shook her finger in Alex's face. "No arguments, I don't want any arguments. Just go on now." She walked him to the bottom of the three wooden steps and patted his face. "You just hang in there, Alex, everything will be fine. You'll see." 

Alex nodded, oddly unable to work up any irritation at being treated like a child by the older woman. She gave his face another little pat and he walked off to do as she had bidden. His own mother had used to stroke his face before he fell asleep, kissing both he and his lucky baseball cap that lay on his pillow beside him. He could just picture her face as she dimmed the lights those nights when he had not wanted them turned completely off. How long had it been since he thought of her, thought of her loving him? For the first time in his adult life he wondered if they, his parents, had really _given_ him to the Consortium as the man who'd come to him first in his tiny, barren, new room, had said. He entered the cabin, the one that he still wanted to think of as his, Skinner's and Fox's, and he walked to the bathroom to start the shower. As he undressed his mind wandered back to those last days at home. There had been no indication that they thought they were never going to see him again. His father had argued with him over his not doing his chores... had told him that he better get the backyard lawn mowed that weekend or he could just forget going to the movies with his friends. Why would he say that if he knew Alex would be taken that night? He felt a sharp stab of pain hit him and he sank to his knees under the hot water. They hadn't known! They had probably gone crazy when he had disappeared. Oh God, all these years hating them and he never once considered that he had been lied to from the beginning. 

"I'll kill, you bastard," he swore, his oath lost in steam and tears. He watched the blood swirl down the drain and he lowered his face to his knees, wrapped his arms about his legs and cried as the memories assailed him. 

Garren found him like that, huddled under the water and shaking. All thoughts of scolding him on the merits of caution fled as he crouched down next to his mate. He frowned as he patted Alex's smooth shoulder, he could scent the grief and he wondered at its cause. Was it his little cat missing his fox? "What is it, Alex?" he asked as softly as he could. He was rewarded with a glare and directions to hell, but he simply stayed crouched beside his mate, until the shaking form stilled and Alex raised angry eyes to him 

"Can't I have any time alone?" 

Gruffness was his cat's way of denying tender emotion. He tilted his head. "Of course, but you are not wishing to be alone, cat, you need to know that you aren't alone." Garren cupped Alex's face in one, large hand and tilted the pretty face up. "Why are you upset? I know those foolish men did not upset you... they should have, but they didn't... and we can discuss that later... but you are hurting and I... I don't like it. You'll stop now." 

Alex raised a glossy brow and almost smiled at the look on Garren's face, he fully expected to be obeyed on that edict. "I... I am angry... not sad," he lied. 

"Think you that I can't smell the difference, cat? I know what your anger smells like, this is hurt. Tell me what hurts and I'll..." 

"You'll what? Tear it apart?" Alex shook his head. "You can't help me, Garren. And really, I don't want you to. Can't you see that?" He rose then and for once he nearly towered over the crouched form of (his mate) Garren. That minor victory was snuffed out as Garren rose to his feet, a perplexed frown on his face. 

"You will stop hurting or tell me how to fix it now, Alex!" He was angered by his mate's hurt, wanted to tear something to bits to end it. And he wanted to shake the beauty until he let him help him. 

"Okay. You want to help me?" 

"Haven't I already said that?" Garren growled in his most frightening voice. 

"Fine. Take me back in time and give me my family back," Alex hissed trying to hold on to the anger and keep the awful pain enclosed deep within. "If you can't do that, then get the hell out of my way." 

Garren pulled Alex to him in a fierce embrace. "I can only tell you that I am your family now. I can't do more than that." It was an admission that cost Garren. He could do most anything, would do most anything for Alex, but that he couldn't do this one thing for him made him ache. He didn't like it, didn't like it at all. 

Alex let himself be held, but it was Fox's arms that he longed for. He rested his face on Garren's nude chest and suddenly chuckled. "You're hell on clothes aren't you?" 

Garren frowned at the question. Was his cat being humorous? Was he joking with him? It was hard to tell. Joking was not something he was completely familiar with. Wondering what best to say he nodded, "Yes. I am hell on them." 

Alex started to laugh then at Garren's rigid, serious response. 

His mate was hysterical, Garren decided. He picked him up with one arm and opened the shower door with the other. Alex was still chuckling as Garren lay him on the big bed. 

"Skinner's going to kill you for getting his mattress wet," Alex predicted. "Hell, he'll kill you anyway for..." His words were cut off as Garren's mouth captured his in a fierce kiss. His heart began to pound erratically. What had Garren done to him? What could make him want so badly to sink beneath Garren's touch and succumb to the intensity of his embrace? 

Garren felt his cat fall into pleasure and a small purr was humming in his chest under Garren's hands. He kissed every part of him, luxuriating in the changed scent, the sweet taste of perfected flesh. Though he knew Alex to be in his thirties he looked more than a decade younger. How would anyone ever respect his mate's claims of being dangerous when he looked like a fresh-faced college kid? He would have to spend the rest of Alex's life protecting him. The prospect of that was not unusual, it was the way of the pack to protect a mate unto the death, but no wolf had ever had a changed human for a mate, it wold make protecting him that much more difficult. Even humans would want him, to say nothing of the hunters from the other places. He let his mind forget his troubles and just enjoyed Alex writhing beneath him. He growled in passion as Alex's fingers raked long furrows down his back. 

"My little scratching cat," he whispered in Alex's ear. 

"I want... I want to taste you," Alex begged, his eyes alight with all the fire of a passion he would deny as soon as it was spent. 

Garren groaned and pulled away from Alex. He leaned back on his heels and watched with eyes that burned as Alex scrambled to his knees before him. Garren traced the wet lips with one thumb, slowly, gently until Alex sucked the thumb into his mouth and sucked on it, staring into Garren's eyes all the while. 

"You're so beautiful, my little cat, so perfect," Garren's words were barely audible, whispered with awe. 

Alex slid his mouth off Garren's finger and bent over his huge erection. It was so perfect... so big... all for him. He whimpered then, needing to taste it before it claimed him once more. He lapped greedily at the head, tasting the clear fluid and trembling with lust. Garren's groans above him drove him crazy, he wanted more of those moans to serenade him. His mouth stretched wide to receive the head and his eyes slid up along the massive, muscled chest to clasp gazes with the blue topaz above. One of Garren's hands was caressing Alex's face as he sucked on the sweet flesh. His own erection was painful on his belly, throbbing with every lap of his tongue on Garren. Garren pushed him away and turned on his back bringing Alex with him to lie atop the bigger body. Garren's legs bent over the edge of the bed and his head was halfway up the mattress, his pupils dilated so that they appeared almost as black as Antonio's 

"Come up to me, cat," Garren commanded huskily. 

Alex slid upwards, pausing to kiss those ripe lips once before Garren's hands clasped Alex's hips and pulled him upward. The strength in those hands, the awesome strength thrilled Alex and he whimpered as his cock was slurped into Garren's mouth. He twisted his hands into the sheets, his face pressed into the cotton as his hips were raised and lowered by Garren's hands. He moaned as Garren fed himself on Alex's cock, pushing the hips up to slide the cock out and then lowering him down once more. The fierce sucking soon had Alex writhing, not even trying to help Garren with the movement, he lay slack as his body was manipulated wonderfully. He felt his gut tighten and his legs went rigid as hips were moved faster and faster, until he screamed his completion, spent and boneless. 

Garren swallowed all that his mate offered, relishing the thick taste, the sweetness of it. He let his mate rest while he wet his own cock. There was already copious amounts of slippery pre-cum oozing from his rigid flesh and he spread that about, groaning as his fingers slid over the sensitive head. He moved Alex into position and scooted further up the bed so he could place his feet on the mattress. He lowered Alex's tight heat over him and let the pretty body sag back against his upraised legs. He stroked Alex's chest until Alex began to lick his lips at the sensation of being skewered on the massive cock and then Alex began to move, his wet organ coming to life once more. 

"That's it, cat, you feel so sweet," Garren crooned as Alex rode him. "I... I love you, Alex," he breathed, more surprised than Alex at the utterance of those simple words. Simple to say, but utterly engulfing to mean. Love? What did he know of it? He only knew that he wanted Alex like no other, craved even the smallest smile. He would do anything for him. Anything. And that was a scary, engulfing word too. 

* * *

**McClellan Air Force Base  
Sacramento, California   
Day Seventeen   
Hour 1200**

"Sir, we haven't seen Mulder in nearly two weeks, but Krycek is still there." 

Spender listened in to the conversation between the soldiers who had infiltrated Fort Bragg and the command center in Sacramento. His fingers clenched as the name of his assassin was uttered. "What is Krycek doing? Ask him," he commanded the soldier who sat next to him in front of the radio. It was only the alien technology that allowed them to continue using the otherwise defunct machines. And it was for that technology that they were once again embroiled in negotiations with their allies. Agent Mulder for a billion lives and resources, what would the noble agent think of that? 

"Pastor, what is the status of Krycek?" the soldier asked obediently. 

"His status is changed. He is now... partnered with one of the wolves." 

"What does he mean partnered?" Spender growled. 

"Explain," the soldier asked. 

"He is the lover of one of the wolves. Sir? I think this wolf has some type of control over the others. We haven't seen many wolves change within what must be Skinner's territory, but they change on command when this Garren asks." 

Spender frowned. "Ask him why they haven't brought Krycek here yet?" 

When the soldier asked the question he was met with a momentary silence. "Sir, with all due respect, I don't think we are going to get very close to him... even with Skinner gone. We have yet to find Krycek alone, and anyone who approaches him is quickly under observation from not only the Italian but every wolf in the vicinity. Sir, if we try to take him, we'd have to expect failure." 

Spender stood and lit a cigarette. "This is unacceptable." He looked up as Bill Mulder came into the small communications room. "Bill, we have a situation. Our men can't get close to Krycek and your son and Skinner have still not returned." 

Bill narrowed his eyes. "We don't have much time. Murdoch has already organized and in that has destroyed nearly half of our installations east of the Rockies. Our allies are growing restive. If they leave... they take their technology with them." 

"How," Spender asked. "They can't find it all." 

Bill gazed at him, "And when the power source is expired? What then, my eager friend?" 

Spender sighed. It was true. While the aliens could not strip them of all the technology, they had never revealed how to duplicate their power source. They would only do so when they had their bounty. 

"If we cannot get our hands on my sweet son, then it is perhaps time to think of the alternative." He turned and left he room with Spender trailing behind. 

"What alternative?" Spender eyes narrowed with speculation and he smiled. "A duplicate?" 

"Yes." 

"But won't Murdoch be able to tell the difference? We know that the event changed some humans. While we have the ability to clone your son..." 

"Don't be coy, Spender, you and I both know you already have. I know a few dead men who have purchased them from you as well. Did you think I would let you play the pimp with my son... even if it were just clones?" 

Spender flushed and said nothing. 

"We will have to get a sample from my son when he returns with Skinner from wherever they have gone. If it is one thing I know, it is that my son would never leave his sweet partner alone for long. Add to that his new... attachment to the assassin you long for and you have a definite that Fox will return. When he does I want a blood sample. No time to waste. I don't care how many men we lose. Am I understood?" 

Spender nodded. "Understood. Bill?" 

"Yes?" 

"Won't we do well to get samples from all the changed humans? We could use them... it is apparent that they are valuable in this new world." 

"We will have time later for that, Spender. For now we just need a sample of my son's. It is he that Murdoch will deal for." 

Spender slowed and allowed Bill Mulder to walk away from him. It was the best plan at the moment, but he would not really be satisfied with a duplicate of Alex. It was the very nature of the man that he craved as much as that beautiful face and body. Alex was a killer, one of the best he had ever seen. Utterly without remorse and dedicated to his task. Such restrained violence, such power to control one such as he. He promised himself that one day soon he would once again taste that sweet flesh in his mouth, taste the semen that would spurt out while Alex remained coldly silent. He sucked on his cigarette and thought of that glorious day. 

* * *

**Day Eighteen  
Hour 1330**

"Where are we?" Fox asked. He was standing beside the big man who had taken him from Mikhail that night not so long ago. At first he had fought the big man, Walter, but as the first wakeful day under the sun had worn on, he had begun to realize that he _knew_ this man, though he could not place why. He also became clear enough to understand that Mikhail had lied to him, had been some sort of monster. It wasn't an easy understanding. He still longed for Mikhail. Not the creature that he could become, but the beautiful young man who looked at him with such intense eyes. 

"Just south of Eureka, California," Walter replied. He watched Fox for any indication that his memory was returning. When he had first tried to pound the memories into Fox, Fox had cradled his head and cried in pain. Whatever the vampire had done, it was clear that Fox would have to remember on his own. For now it was enough that Fox seemed to accept him, even so far as to cuddle up to him the second night. Walter had been unable to resist claiming the pretty body once more and his pulse pounded as he recalled how passionate Fox had been, straddling him in the open air and riding in untamed rhythm until they both had come screaming. He knew he should just take him immediately to Alex's side, he could sense his little assassin not so far away, but he had hoped that Fox would remember everything before he saw Alex. What would Alex do when he realized that even the mention of his name did not so much as make Fox blink? 

It was becoming obvious to him that Fox might not remember any time soon. While he had accepted Walter, had in fact become quite attached to him again, he seemed to have no eagerness to return to a place where he was told everyone knew him. Walter knew that Fox was frightened of returning. Even still Fox's next words startled him. 

"Why don't we not go back?" 

"What?" Walter asked, amazed. 

"I don't want to go back! I don't know the people you are talking about! I just want to be with you," Fox's voice was harsh almost angry. 

"Trust me, Fox, you'll want to be back among them. They are your friends, they care about you as I do." 

"I know, you keep telling me that. I don't even know who I am! How can I hope to know them?" 

"But, you love them, Fox. You would never forgive me if I kept you from them," Walter assured, trying to imagine the day when, if he did as Fox asked and stayed away, Fox remembered his love for Alex and hated him for keeping him from that love. 

"You love Alex," Fox accused. 

"Yes, I do," Walter sighed. They had been over this many times. Walter had not lied to Fox about Alex, just left out a few important details about Fox's feelings for the assassin. He didn't want to overwhelm him, he told himself. Though he had to admit, it was nice having Fox's affections so firmly settled on him alone. It wouldn't last he knew. Fox would remember Alex in time and the two would continue their great love affair, but maybe, just maybe Fox would love Walter as much as he did at this moment. Regardless of his own fantasies, he had to get back to Alex. 

"Why don't you just leave me here and go to him? I don't want to go." Fox didn't mean it, he really did want to stay with Walter, but this Alex could be a problem. He heard the tired sigh next to him and he walked down to the bank of the lake they had stopped to sleep beside. Everything was crazy now. Walter had made machines start that Fox had been unable to. Lighting stores they entered to pick up gear or food, powering the red Ford Explorer that they used to drive south in, though no other vehicle moved on the road. At first Walter had driven around abandoned vehicles before he had simply made them vanish. What was Walter anyway? He was a fantastic lover, gentle and attentive, but he could do things that Fox knew in his heart were not possible. 

"Fox, you will be glad I brought you to them," Walter said from behind him. 

"I don't like Fort Bragg," he insisted, though he was completely without memory of it. 

"Well that is fine, because we are all moving on as soon as you are recovered," Walter said smoothly as he ran his big hands over Fox's shoulders. 

"I don't care, and I don't need to recover. I'm fine," Fox insisted. 

"Then we won't be in Fort Bragg for long, will we 

Fox sighed. He wasn't really upset about seeing the people, who Walter assured him were his friends, but he had become rather possessive of the big, handsome man and he didn't want to share him with this Alex. He was determined to sit this other man down and explain things to him. Walter was his! That was that. Alex would just have to deal with it. He looked over his shoulder as Walter left him to gather up Fox's coat. You'll love me, he promised to himself. You'll love only me and you will forget all about Alex. The vow to himself made him smile. Walter was obviously in love with him. How could this Alex be a problem? Walter smiled at him and Fox smiled back, his hands going up to toy with the nipple rings still under his shirt. Walter had been horrified when Fox had insisted that he liked them, but had allowed them. Fox frowned then as he remembered Walter's words then. "Alex will hate them," Walter had warned, not knowing that those words solidified Fox's decision to keep the gold rings on. 

"I think we should just dispense with the Ford and go right now, Fox. You aren't going to remember anytime soon and I think we have left Alex alone far too long." 

Again with Alex! Fox glared at Skinner as the big man wrapped his arms about him. He opened his mouth to protest but then there was only darkness and he felt a dizzying spin to the world. 

* * *

**Fort Bragg, California  
Day Eighteen   
Hour 1340**

Skinner chose to appear in front of the Gunmen as he didn't want to shock Alex with the sudden appearance of Fox. The Gunmen were gathered around the table inside their little trailer eating steak and cheese sandwiches. Byers saw them first and his sandwich fell to the plate. 

"Are you done with that, because I could eat it for you," Langly offered, eyeing the fallen delicacy. 

"Mulder!" Byers gasped. Langly and Frohike turned quickly, the shock on their faces melting away into shining delight as they spied their friend. 

"Mulder! Mulder, you're back!" Langly crowed as he and Frohike struggled to get out from the small confines of the dinette table. 

Byers made it to the stunned man before his friends and he wrapped his arms about Mulder's waist fairly jumping for joy. "Oh, Mulder, wow! You're back!" 

Mulder looked at Skinner who was just smiling. There was something vaguely familiar about the three men, but he had no time to think as the two other men joined in the fray. He felt like he was going to be squashed as the three men fought for position around him all the while speaking at once. 

Skinner stepped forward and separated Fox from the giddy Gunmen and he held up a hand. "Listen to me, Fox has had an ordeal... he needs to rest." 

"Oh, of course. You can stay here," Langly offered as he looked about for a place for Mulder to sit. "You can rest while we tell you all about everything!" 

"And you do _not_ want to hear about Garren and Alex," Frohike advised, his face a serious, nodding mask. 

"What do you mean? What about Alex and Garren?" Skinner growled. 

"Well they are tight now," Langly informed. 

"They are," Byers seconded. "Where Garren goes, Alex follows... or is it opposite?" 

"Definitely opposite," Frohike grunted. 

"We'll just see about that," Skinner growled. 

Fox patted his arm, "Don't worry, Walter, maybe Alex is happy with him." 

"Huh?" Langly looked at Fox as if he had three heads. 

"Yeah. Huh?" Frohike asked. The Gunmen looked at each other with wide eyes. 

"He doesn't remember... anything," Skinner sighed. 

"Except for us?" Byers was confused. It never occurred to him that Mulder might forget him. 

"I don't remember you exactly," Fox said gently. He didn't want to hurt their feelings. "I mean you all seem familiar, but..." 

"I'm taking him to the cabin now," Skinner said as he led Mulder to the door. "You all can come by later." With that he and Mulder left the trailer. 

"Wow, he doesn't remember anything. I wonder what Alex will do?" Byers mused. 

"Forget Alex, what will Red do?" Frohike sighed. 

* * *

Alex and Garren were on the beach. Alex wanted to swim, but Garren kept eyeing the water and shaking his head. 

"I am an excellent swimmer, you know," Alex sighed. Garren had almost driven him to insanity and back again. He could better understand why Fox got so exasperated with him. The thoughts of his beautiful Fox hurt. Would Skinner ever bring him back to him? For all that he had grown to feel something for Garren, there was only one love in his heart. And he was going crazy without him, without seeing that gentle smile Fox reserved just for him. 

"There is something in the water that I don't like," Garren said abruptly. He was about to tell Alex to strip for him when he picked up the unmistakable scent of the prince. His body responded immediately and he smiled at his cat. That would make Alex smile he knew. He opened his mouth to inform Alex that his little fox had been returned when he felt a force push at him. He growled and turned to see Skinner striding toward him. 

Alex's first thought was to keep Skinner from hurting Garren and he held up his hand. "Skinner don't hurt..." Then his mind kicked into gear... Skinner was back that meant..."Fox!" he gasped. Without another thought he ran from Garren's side and practically plowed Skinner into the sand. "Where is he? Where's Fox?" 

Skinner chuckled and kissed the red lips. "Hello to you too, Alex." 

Alex didn't feel the slightest shame, Skinner knew who Alex really loved. "Where? Is? He?" 

"In the cabin, but Alex... Alex he doesn't remember anything," Skinner sighed as Alex ignored him and raced away. Turning to Garren he shook his head. "I'll deal with you later," he promised and easily caught up with Alex. He pulled him to a halt and Alex glared at him. "Alex, listen to me. He doesn't remember anyone... he doesn't remember you. Please, I know you are excited to see him, but go easy." 

Alex shook his head. "He'll remember me, Skinner." 

"I hope so, assassin, I hope so." 

Alex shrugged off the holding hand and hurried on his way. He rushed into the cabin and looked about wildly, his heart fairly thrumming out of his chest. Where was he? Oh God he wanted to see him. There. On the couch. Fox was reclining, his face turned to the door. Alex rushed to his side and fell to his knees beside him. "Oh God, Fox! Oh God, baby, you're back," his voice was trembling. 

Fox stared at the man who was probably the prettiest thing he had ever seen and he knew he had never seen him before. He could never forget those green eyes, that pink, moist mouth. Of course the man seemed pretty sure he knew him. He gasped as his lips were covered with that tempting mouth and he scrambled up and away from the man. 

"I think there has to be a mistake here..." 

"Baby, it's me... Alex!" 

Fox gasped. This was Alex? Oh shit. His confused look was replaced by a glare. "Alex? You're Alex?" 

Alex frowned at the look on Fox's face. "Yes, don't you know me?" It was unthinkable that Fox was looking at him with that same distrusting look once more... that look that clearly broadcasted his belief that Alex was about to do something evil. 

"No. No, I don't know you." Fox saw the hurt on that pretty face. This was supposed to be the one trying to keep Walter from him? He looked more like he wanted to be with him. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't," he said more gently in deference to the young man's feelings. 

Alex shook his head in denial. "No, no you do... you will." 

Fox stood and put some distance between he and the beauty still on his knees. "Walter says that too." 

"That you'll remember?" Alex whispered trying to restrain himself from going to his lover and shaking him. 

"Yes. I don't even remember _him_ and so how can I be expected to remember everyone else right away?" 

Alex's head whipped about and he stood. "Why should you remember him above anyone else?" 

"Because he is my lover of course," Fox frowned. Why did this young man make him so nervous, like a dangerous animal was stalking him. 

"He told you he was your lover?" 

"He _is_ my lover," Fox insisted, the difference not subtle enough to escape Alex's notice. 

"How long have you been with him?" Alex asked, his voice a deadly whisper. 

Fox frowned at the fury that was barely contained in quiet tones. "Nearly four days. Why?" 

Alex's jaw danced, the muscles beneath jittering in a mad twist. "Four days... and he told you what about me?" 

Fox backed away a bit before he answered, the young man was obviously mad. "He told me that he loved you... that we had to get back to you." 

Alex wasn't assuaged. "But what about how you feel about me?" He was trembling. Skinner had Fox for four days... had made love to him... had convinced him they were lovers and never once told Fox that Alex was Fox's lover? He wanted to kill the former AD. 

"I... I guess that we both were his lovers... that we were friends." 

"Friends?" Alex seethed. 

"I think he was exaggerating," Fox ventured. He didn't see how he and this volatile man could be friends. "But I hear that you and this Garren are quite close." 

"What!" Alex shouted. "Did he tell you that?" 

Skinner entered at that moment. "No, Alex, the Gunmen told _me_ that." 

Alex spun on his heel and the look of fury on his face made Skinner sigh. "Alex, I told you not to upset Fox. Look at him!" 

Alex turned to see Fox staring at him again with that look and he turned back to Skinner. "You bastard. You fucking bastard!" 

"You can't talk to him like that," Fox hissed. 

Alex calmed himself for Fox's sake. He turned pleading green eyes to meet the moss of his only love's eyes. "Fox, I'm sorry I upset you... I... I need some air." He shoved past Skinner with more force than necessary. He hissed, "I'll kill you for this." 

Skinner sighed. He couldn't win. His attitude changed when Fox came to him and slid his arms about him. "He's... very volatile isn't he?" 

Skinner chuckled and kissed the top of Fox's hair. "Oh that is what we both love about him, Fox. He's like some live wire, you never know when it's going to snap back and bite you." 

"I think he's a bit crazy," Fox admitted. What he didn't say was that he thought Alex was the most exciting thing he had experienced yet. There was something about his eyes that Fox found soothing. Crazy in the face of the man's manic attitude. 

"Don't let him upset you, Fox, he wouldn't hurt you for the world. Trust me. Now me... I think he'd happily slit my throat at this moment." 

Fox looked up, confused, but Walter shushed him and led him to the bedroom. "You need some rest. I don't know where Scully is but I assure you, she'll poke and prod you to the moon and back when she finds out that you're back. 

Fox let himself be led to the bed and he smiled flirtatiously as Walter helped him undress. He pouted when his hand was moved away from Walter's generous crotch. 

"Not now, beautiful. Alex really would kill me." With that Walter left Fox alone. 

He was going to find the pretty, crazy Alex, Fox knew. What if they made love? He turned onto his stomach and glared at the offensive pillow before he pummeled it into lumpless submission. "I don't know what is going on, but Walter is going to love me and only me." He tried to forget how good Alex smelled, how smoothly he moved. Whoever Garren was, he could have him. Even as he thought it, some unheralded jealousy burned at him. Something about the name Garren made him tense. He would have to talk to Alex again. Try to understand how someone who had seemed so sweet at first had turned wild when he found that Walter had made love... that was it! Alex was jealous! Well, he would just have to accept Walter's loss. He was too tired to continue this vein of thought and with one yawn he fell into blissful slumber. 

* * *

Outstanding Skinner AU   
Honorable mention   


09/15/99   
RATING: Very NC-17   
SPOILERS: Probably, but do you care?   
SUMMARY: Alternate Universe After the events of The Changing, the world is ruled by magic and Mulder has to learn to find a role for himself in the new paradigm.   
WARNING: Sexual Assault, Angst, explicit sex ( **consensual and non-consensual** ) between hot men, magic, and B&D. If that isn't your thing or you are below the age of consent. DO NOT READ!!!!!!!!!! My Krycek has two arms and he's going to keep them thank you.   
DISCLAIMER: They aren't mine. They belong to CC and 1013 Productions. I don't make any money... wouldn't take it if I could, just borrowing, you can have them back.   
FEEDBACK: Please and thank you. [email removed]   
Website if applicable: [ http://www.slashingmulder.com/Author_N.htm](http://www.slashingmulder.com/Author_N.htm)   
DEDICATED TO: Megaera for reminding me that the supernatural exists beyond the written word, (but mostly near her home) Thanks to JoB, Cerulean and Michael for their beta and _delicious_ ideas... keep 'em coming love.   
---


	6. Seduction of a Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Universe After the events of The Changing, the world is ruled by magic and Mulder has to learn to find a role for himself in the new paradigm.

  
**Chapter Six  
Seduction of a Man**

_"I'm not asking to grow flowers in the desert  
But I can feel and hear and see the sun in wintertime   
In a big country   
Dreams stay with you   
Like a lover's voice cross the mountainside stay's alive."_

Big Country 

**Cabins  
Fort Bragg, California   
Day Eighteen   
Hour 1400**

Alex stopped at the steps of Garren's cabin. It had been Garren's since the moment he claimed it. Maggie and the Gunmen hadn't even argued; the Gunmen were happy to stay in their trailer and Maggie assured Dana that she preferred the town anyway. Even Antonio had shrugged off the claim as unimportant, and so it was Garren's, though Alex would bet anything that the man would rather burn the frivolous retreat than actually stay in it. 

He didn't want to see Garren just now, he was too furious. Garren would ask a million questions and he was in no mood to explain. He backed away from the door and hoped that for once, just once, Garren wouldn't know he was near. 

It was a hope in vain as he backed into Garren's solid frame Garren steadied Alex with a frown. What had enraged his mate now? Had the meeting with the prince not gone well? He bent and kissed the shiny black hair before Alex slipped out of his grip and turned with a frustrated noise.

"Garren, not now! I am..."

"Just about to talk to me," Skinner said smoothly, but there was a thread of steel in his tone, one that made Alex jerk away from Garren guiltily before he remembered himself.

"I don't think you want to talk to me now, Skinner," he managed through clenched teeth.

"Oh but I do," Skinner replied.

Garren enfolded Alex in his arms and his eyes glittered a silent warning. "If you were a wise man, ascendant, you would do well to leave Alex..."

Skinner's jaw danced as the two men glared. He noted with something akin to contempt, how Alex did not throw off the wolf's embrace. He threw Garren away from his assassin and grabbed Alex's arm. "I will speak to you. Now." He turned to watch as Garren seemed to coil to spring at him and he smiled. "Alone."

Garren let out a howl of rage as his mate and the ascendant disappeared. His head swiveled about madly looking for what he knew he would not find. 

Some trace of Alex. He felt the rage build and the change in him quickened like some eager child, but he controlled it. He thought of the possible people that the ascendant would have gone to and he set members of his pack to watching them. The mother of the changed female was on the outskirts of the town, near the northern most river. She was following the burial committee and spray painting an orange X on the curb in front of a house that had been cleared of the dead. The fear of disease had been a major motivating factor for the burning of the dead. He waited, motionless, until Antonio and Dana were located on the bank of the lazy river. His pack shied away from the ascendant but stayed close enough to watch the two lovers. Garren grinned darkly as he saw Skinner and Alex appear at Antonio's side. Satisfied that his mate was not far away and under the watchful eyes of many of his pack, he let his curiosity of the prince draw him toward the cabin in which he slept.

He made his way silently to the sleeping form and stared down at the cause of Alex's turmoil. His nostrils flared at the intoxicating scent. What lovely skin exposed by negligent sheets. He crouched near and listened to the soft breathing, tilting his head slightly, considering the bounty before him. 

Skinner was a fool to leave his sweet prize so tenderly alone and vulnerable. 

He reached out a hand and lightly touched the full lips, lips made for pleasure, for surely there was no other practical use for such softness. 

Alex loved this human, fiercely. That, rather than fear of Skinner, kept Garren's touch light and gentle. There was exhaustion painted on the pretty face even in sleep and Garren withdrew his hand. A wolf could but take one mate, but had he not already claimed his, this male would be more than satisfactory. As it was he was firmly pledged to Alex and would place no other before him, but he could always sample this male at a later date, when all was settled. Alex might even enjoy watching this one pant and beg with need. Skinner, on the other hand, would not. Garren grinned, imagining the big ascendant's reaction to Garren taking Fox. He could scent the little prince's sex and he clenched his teeth. How easy to draw back the sheet, part the long legs and coax that sex to life with his mouth, his lips, his teeth, his tongue all working together to make the pretty beg. With a sigh he left the room, once more having cause to wonder at the wisdom of taking a human mate. A wolf would have gladly shared, would not have dared to even think of refusing to share. Alex, Garren thought. What a troublesome little cat. Garren left the cabin and looked to the sky. Even in the brightness of day he could sense the moon waxing full. It was calling to him, to hunt, to run free, to slaughter. That was one thing Alex could never keep him from. Soon he would resist the call no longer and he would run with the moon.

* * *

Alex wasted no time with looking at Dana or Antonio. He pulled away from Skinner and made to leave.

"We have to talk, Alex," Walter sighed.

"Sir?" Dana gasped, drawing close her unbuttoned blouse, the frilly, sapphire blue camisole beneath a stark contrast to her ivory flesh. "Skinner? Is Mulder... ?"

Skinner looked to his agent and nodded brusquely. "Fox is sleeping now, Scully."

"Is he okay?" she asked, standing, leaving Antonio to recline on the soft, scented grass alone.

"Oh he's okay all right, Scully!" Alex hissed. "Skinner here just made sure he didn't remember that he and I are lovers!"

Skinner sighed. "He doesn't remember any of us, Scully. Try not to barge in like a certain bull I know," Skinner drawled.

She raised a brow and then nudged Antonio with her foot. "Antonio, let's go," she urged, trying to ignore the heated atmosphere between Skinner and Krycek.

Alex waited until the two vanished and he turned on Skinner. "You just couldn't resist could you? Fox, vulnerable, not remembering anything. You couldn't resist putting in his mind that it's you he loves. Why? Are you hoping that once he remembers everything, and he _will_ remember everything, that he will still feel the same way about you?"

Skinner shook his head. "Alex, it wasn't like that."

"Bull shit!"

"When I spoke of the others, Fox could remember small things about them, not what they looked like but little things. With you... and yes I did speak of you, with you it was as if it hurt to try and remember you... like he couldn't even try."

"Why should I believe you?" Alex sneered. "You kept him for four days, four fucking days, Skinner. You could have brought him back immediately, but you kept him to yourself, fucking him, with no thought to how the rest of us were going out of our minds!"

Skinner shook his head. "If you had seen how he was, wanting to go back to Mikhail, the vampire who had taken him, you would understand. He was scared, overwhelmed. I didn't want to place him in an environment where everyone was..."

"Oh cut the crap, will you? You think you are the only one who could have soothed him? He's my lover, Scully is his best friend, the Gunmen even would have been a better choice. At least they wouldn't have fucked him when he was confused."

Skinner remained stubbornly silent.

"You did this before, Skinner. You got me out of the way, sent me to help get Maggie, and you fucked him then, too. We fucking told you we would accept you! What more do you want?" Alex shook his head. "No, don't answer that. I know what you want."

"And what is it that I want, Alex?"

"You want Fox's love!"

"That I already had, assassin. Before all of this, I had it. I don't want what you think I do. I didn't like leaving you alone so long." His face darkened. "And I can see the fruits of that for myself. Tell me, Alex, how long after Fox was abducted did you wait before giving yourself to Garren?" His own jealousy burned bright, but he noticed the pained look that crossed the pretty face and he wished he could take back the words, no matter how true they were.

"I didn't... he just... listen, stop trying to change the conversation," Alex hissed desperately. His own guilt was like a tidal wave. What would Fox think?

"This is the conversation, Alex. Fox and you belong to me. I do what I think is best. I can't regret going after him and I couldn't have retrieved him with you along to slow me down. I would have gone after you as well had you been the one taken."

"But I bet you wouldn't have tried to convince me that I wasn't in love with Fox!"

"I never told Fox that he didn't love you. In fact I think he is a bit jealous of you," Skinner sighed. "He knows what I feel for you, but he doesn't understand the rest."

"The Rest? Oh, yes. The rest being that he _loves_ me," Alex argued.

"Maybe I did want him to love me as much as he loves you, maybe I did keep him for that, but I swear to you it wasn't my motivation, Alex. If I knew that by leaving you alone for so long that you would cleave to Garren, I would have come sooner. I thought you might resist..."

"This isn't about me and Garren," Alex ground out. "Much as you would like to make it. This is about you!"

"What would you like me to do, Alex? I want you and Fox to be happy. I know he wants to remember you, he has dreams that wake him, crying. I _know_ he is trying to remember you. Do you think I want... that I _like_ him to be tortured?" Skinner growled. Now furious, but not only with Alex, with himself as well. It had been partially self-motivation that had kept him from Alex's side.

Alex blanched a bit. "You asked me what I wanted you to do. Do you mean that you would do what I asked?"

"If it wasn't to let you two go off alone... yes. I don't want to have anything like what's happened happen again. I am not keeping you prisoners, but understand that it isn't safe for you... or Fox anymore."

Alex considered him, weighed the truth of his words. "Not going off alone, but being alone. No interference from you, no you trying to make your claim. Just Fox and me. He'll sleep alone until he asks me to sleep with him. You won't interfere. You won't touch either of us until he remembers. That's what I want. That is the only thing that would show to me your sincerity," Alex challenged.

Skinner's eyes flared red for an instant, the urge to crush the rebellion in his little assassin, strong. He wanted to take Alex in his arms and capture the red lips with his own, bend him to his will. Reclaim him from Garren's touch. But the pain in Alex's eyes when he realized that Fox didn't know him made him pause. The excitement when Alex realized that Fox was back, the four days he had kept Alex from that happiness made him nod. "Fine. We will be leaving soon for San Francisco. We will travel by car, slowly. When we make camp you and Fox can be left alone, but I will not let Fox think I don't love him. That would be cruel."

Alex considered this. Knowing he had received more than he expected and not really sure why Skinner was allowing it. "Agreed, but you aren't to have sex with him," he clarified.

"And _you_ aren't to have sex with Garren," Skinner added. Raising his brows when Alex nearly choked. "Is that a problem, Alex?" he whispered dangerously. His blood was pounding, Alex was his. He knew that the change had made Alex and his kind ready and willing for sex, but there could be only one master of this pretty human. Knowing that changed human's lust for sex was primarily a self-defense mechanism, to keep them from going stark raving mad from the attentions of all those who would die to taste their embrace, didn't ease Skinner's mood.

"It is not," Alex whispered. Already wondering how he could ever expect Garren to obey that edict. Garren seemed to care little for what anyone thought or wanted. Except me, a little voice in his head reminded him. And it was true, Garren did seem to want to please him. He shook his head. What was important here was his relationship with Fox.

"Fine. If you do, Alex, all bets are off. I will not stand by while you act the..."

"Don't say it," Alex warned. "Don't fucking say it."

"Fine, I won't say, but don't act on your impulse to spread your legs. I know you can't truly help yourself, but if you need to be taken, there is only one person other than Fox who has that right. And don't you forget it."

Alex stared into the fierce, red eyes and felt himself nodding, dumbly.

"I will put up with a lot from you, Alex, but this is one thing that you _will_ obey me in. Garren is not, will never be, your lover."

Alex nodded again, but he knew that it wasn't true. In the same way that Skinner was his lover, by right of power and conquest, so too was Garren his lover.

"Then let's get back to him," Skinner finally said, his eyes still red for want of Alex, but determined to keep his word. Until Fox remembered Alex, Skinner would not dally with either of them. But should Alex disobey him and slink off to meet Garren, he would be forced to remind the young assassin just to whom both he and Fox belonged.

* * *

**Cabins  
Fort Bragg, California   
Day Eighteen   
Hour 1930**

When Fox opened his eyes it was getting dark in the room. Little shadows were creeping along the walls making fluttering images on there. He stared at the shadows for a bit until his eyes turned to the source. The curtains of the window flapped lazily, the dying sunlight caught in the flapping folds. His heart started to pound in tandem with the sound of the distant surf and he saw that window, darker, the wind moving the curtains then too... something outside calling to him... others in another room arguing. It wasn't the one that called to him that he struggled to remember, but another whose voice was just loud enough to hear, angry, no, frustrated. His heart thudded desperately, he was close to something, black lashes, gentle touch, skin like worn velvet. He could see himself, taking off his gun... straining to hear the conversation beyond. The flap of the curtains continued. 

He could almost make out the ghostly words. He pressed his hands to his head and cried out in frustration. Why couldn't he remember? He wanted to scream, but the image was gone.

He got out of bed and could hear people talking just beyond the door. 

It was hushed conversation, an attempt not to waken him he knew. A female voice spoke and the familiar tone sent a chill through him. She would have red hair, eyes so blue that the sky looked dull. He didn't understand it, but he was eager to see her. He hurriedly dressed and rushed out of the bedroom. His eyes alighted on first Skinner. Paused for a considerable moment on Alex, before searching her out. She was in the small kitchen pouring water into a small glass. She was tiny, he thought with a frown. Somehow he had pictured her larger. "I heard you talking," he said for want of anything else to say. 

When she turned to him with a little gasp he grinned. "I know your voice." 

He missed the flash of pain in Alex's eyes at his words. The woman hurried to his side, hugged him briefly, affectionately, before proceeding to eye him clinically, running her hands down his arms.

"Mulder! Are you okay? I've been..." she paused and looked to Alex, "we've been worried sick."

"Do you remember her?" Skinner asked hopefully.

"I don't know," Mulder sighed. "I recognized her voice." He beamed. "I really did!"

She smiled, "That's understandable, you've been hearing me nag you for years. 

I'd have to wonder if you couldn't recognize it." She led him to the couch and he was painfully aware of how close Alex was standing to it. He risked a glance at the man, so beautiful that his heart thudded a bit, but the face was completely void of expression. If anything he looked utterly bored.

"What has Skinner told you?" the woman with the wonderful eyes asked.

He heard a small snort come from Alex, but when he looked at him there was just that boredom there. "Not a lot. Just that there has been something, some event that has changed the world... making it like some nasty fairytale."

"What about you? What do you know of your past?" She sat next to him and he took a breath. "Walter told me I was an FBI agent, but I don't remember that. I remember bits and pieces of my childhood. Beyond that I remember strange things. Like faceless people, living dolls, and killer beetles." He looked embarrassed. "And though this is odd I remember a name, one that seems so important to me, Samantha."

"Your sister," the woman stated and smiled gently at his excited gasp. "My name?"

"I guess from what Walter has told me that it is either Maggie or Dana Scully... no it is Dana. I know that." And he did. Alex shifted a bit and he was very aware of the coiled strength in that body. He's dangerous, Fox thought. It wasn't a matter of memory rather than a matter of perception. 

He had been an FBI agent, that would have been a wonderful training ground for learning about dangerous men. He risked yet another glance up at Alex. 

His eyes met the jade green and his mouth went dry.

"Yes, Maggie is my mother. You and I are partners. We have been for a lot more years than anyone would have bet on us staying together."

"And they tried to split us up," he added. His eyes widened. "I don't know where that came from. But who are they?"

"People who we don't have to worry about anymore," Scully assured him. "Do you remember anything else?"

"Images really," he admitted. "Sometimes, when I am waking I think I might remember it all, like it is there just on the edge of my perception. It's frustrating as hell. I know you're all here, but it's like I'm missing something! Something that is driving me crazy." He rose abruptly and ran a hand through his hair. "What did he do to me?" he whispered, torn. He felt a gentle hand on his back and he looked up, startled to find that it was Alex, a look of concern and sorrow in his vivid eyes.

"You're going to be okay, Fox," Alex said so softly, Fox had to strain to hear him.

"I want to remember." He looked away from Alex. "I was so excited to recognize Dana's voice, but..."

"But what?" Alex asked, his hand still slowly stroking Fox's back.

"I don't know. I feel like I'm missing more than memories. I can't explain it."

"Try," Alex urged.

Fox stared at him again. Black lashes so thick it was hard to tell how they could all fit on the lids. He stared in silence for a moment. "I feel like I need to do something, be somewhere, but I don't know what. It's like a dream." He drew reluctantly away from Alex and went to Skinner's side. He wrapped his arms about Skinner's waist and sighed, resting his head on Skinner's broad shoulder.

"Don't strain yourself, Fox. It'll all come back to you," Skinner soothed.

"So you keep telling me," Fox grumbled.

"It will. The longer you are separated from Mikhail the easier it will be," Skinner assured him softly.

"Mikhail?" Scully looked at Skinner with confusion. "Was he the vam... the one who took Mulder?"

Skinner simply nodded.

"And he caused Mulder to forget who he was? For what purpose?" Scully rose and shook her head. "Was it some attempt at control?"

"I think that is partially the reason. The other was to keep me from finding him," Skinner replied as he bent to kiss Mulder's cheek. One glance at Alex's face and he straightened with a frown.

"How did you find him, sir?" Scully asked. She wanted to be left alone with Mulder, to talk to him without any interference but she knew that Alex wouldn't even consider leaving his side.

"It's a long story, but to cut to the chase I gave up tracking Fox and joined up with a group of travelers, pretended to be hum..." He stopped abruptly and cleared his throat. "Pretended to be just another traveler. I wanted to be attacked by other vampires... or be near when they attacked so that I could find out everything about them, if there was anything that would help me track the one that had Fox. It didn't take long until I got what I wanted. After that tracking Mikhail was easier. He had this penchant for sending me images of what he was doing to Fox... it was a tactical mistake on his part," Skinner finished grimly.

Fox pulled away from him with an embarrassed scowl. "You never told me that you knew what he and I... did... I never knew that. Why would he do that?" Fox clenched his fists. Of all the memories he lacked he wished he could void himself of the still clear memories of Mikhail and the things they had done. Black eyes, soft lips and the blood, always the blood. He felt sick suddenly. He had been fed upon, fed upon and fucked by something out of a nightmare and he had wanted it. "Oh God," he groaned desperately, feeling the bile surge in his throat. He ran toward the bathroom and made it just in time, voiding what little there was in his stomach. A wet cloth was pressed to his lips as his neck was rubbed. He looked up, somehow not surprised to see Alex kneeling beside him, though he had not heard the man enter after him.

"You're safe now, Fox," Alex gritted out. Skinner came to the door but one look from Alex and he retreated with a look of concern on his strong features.

Fox wondered at that. Why would Alex glare at Skinner? He shook his head and tried to stop thinking of blood running down his chest as he watched himself in the mirror. Heaving again at the memories, he bent forward, feeling Alex's strong arm wrap around him, his voice pressed to his ear, whispering soft unintelligible words of comfort as Fox shuddered. When he could, he took a sip of water. "I can't stop thinking about it, Alex. I thought... I thought he was my lover... but he fed on me." He raised wet eyes to Alex's. "I couldn't tell this to Walter, but when he fuck... had sex with me he would always feed... I didn't know that it was wrong... it felt so good." 

He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms about his waist, dropping his head down. Alex made an angry noise and Fox found himself drawn to the muscled body. "I didn't want Walter to know," he whispered. "When I realized that it was wrong, that Mikhail was a monster, I didn't want him to know."

"He, none of us think any differently about you, ba... Fox . If you had your memories you could probably recite to me all the ways that vampires can seduce their victims. You would know that this wasn't your fault."

"I know it isn't, but it doesn't change how I feel."

"And how do you feel?" Alex asked gently, not being able to keep from kissing Mulder's lowered head.

"Dirty... but something else too. It's like I know the feeling... like I've felt it before."

Alex helped him to his feet. "You'll be fine. You're the strongest person I know. You'll be fine."

"I am? Strong?" Fox asked, lifting his head.

Alex grinned a little. "Stubborn might be the word I was looking for, but strong is up there too." Alex touched Fox's cheek fleetingly.

"Do you know me? I mean before all this... the change, did you know me?" His eyes met Alex's again and he nearly forgot his question. Where had he gotten the idea that Alex was dangerous? He was clearly an extremely gentle and sweet person. Perhaps it had been the shock of seeing Mulder back in the fold that had sent him off on a tirade against Skinner. That still didn't make sense really. Alex had been excited to see him, ecstatic even. He'd kissed him! It was only after he realized that Mulder was with Skinner that he had lost it. Whatever the case, he must not have been a good agent if he could have thought for one moment that this gentle, young creature was dangerous. He was too beautiful to be anything but what he looked, an angel.

"I knew you." The words were given in a husky voice and Fox frowned. Alex gritted his teeth and led Fox to the bedroom. "Do you want to rest?"

Fox shook his head, but sat down on the bed. "I want to do something... anything. I feel pent up."

Alex bit his upper lip and narrowed his eyes, considering his forgetful lover. "Maybe you need to run. You haven't done that for awhile. I'm sure it would be good for you... exercise always seemed to clear your mind before." He was thinking of the best way to give Mulder what he needed without endangering him. "There's a community center in town, I think it has a track behind it."

"Actually that sounds great," Fox answered. "I think I would like that. Is the town far?"

* * *

"No. A quick trip actually. I was going to go there later today anyway, but then you came back and... well I didn't go. It's getting late so if you want to go, we should get going." Alex was doing his best to remain normal, to not push Mulder back on the bed and kiss him until he remembered everything... or just to kiss him until he could convince himself that everything would be okay. More than anything he wanted to lay on the bed and hold Mulder tight. So tight that no one could ever take him away again. He settled for going to find Mulder something to wear. He sorted through the various clothes they had picked up and those that remained from the previous occupants while Mulder stared at him. "Hey, look, a sexy sweat suit that might fit you."

Mulder frowned at the baby blue sweatsuit and sighed. "Sexy huh? I'll look like a Skittle."

Alex laughed, his face transformed into something wonderful, entrancing Mulder who had to look away guiltily.

"A Skittle? Oh so are you soft and chewy... and fruity?" He wiggled his eyebrows at Mulder until Mulder grinned.

"I think I am more a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup kind of guy," Mulder smiled as he stood to accept the shiny, blue tracksuit.

"Oh yeah, that's exactly what you are," Alex purred.

Mulder raised a brow and asked, "Why do I get the feeling I should be careful what I say around you?" when Alex just chuckled and crossed his arms over his muscled chest Mulder sighed. "And _why_ are you agreeing with me?"

"Oh you know... there's no wrong way to eat a Reese's," Alex grinned.

Fox blushed furiously and tried to think of what to say in reply to that. "Oh," he rebutted brilliantly before falling into embarrassed silence. Alex was... well he was definitely a character. He's young, he told himself, though he had no clue as to his own age, or even why he could remember things like Reese's, Skittles and the Big Mac but not who his parents were or his friends.

Alex watched as the flush on Fox's face settled down and he devoured every part of the beloved face. "You can get dressed. I'll be good," he promised as he made a show of covering his eyes.

Fox hurriedly undressed, keeping a wary eye on the scamp. When he was properly festooned in the too-large running suit he gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm decent, you can open your eyes." He looked a himself in the mirror and chuckled. "Walter will love me in this, don't you think, Alex?" He saw the smile go off Alex's face as if it had never resided there. And when the hands were removed there was only the bored young man he'd glimpsed in the living room. He felt guilty then. Alex did love Walter, too. And despite his earlier vow to keep Walter to himself, a vow he had made before meeting Alex, he had no desire to hurt the beautiful young man. He cleared his throat. "Maybe I have some running shoes too."

"I think I saw a pair there. Skinner must have gotten them before you were taken." Alex stood and went to the door. "I'll go tell him we're leaving." A bitter look passed over the fine features. "We need him to start the car."

Mulder nodded and watched as Alex left. Mercurial didn't even begin to start describing Alex, that was for sure. When he had put on socks and the shoes he left the room again. Skinner sat on the couch, alone. "Hey, you," Mulder smiled and went to him. "I'm going to run... want to come?" He knelt at Skinner's feet and placed his hands on the strong thighs, squeezing appreciatively.

"No, I think I'll stay here, try to convince the Gunmen to start on dinner. You'll be back soon right?"

Mulder nodded. "Yeah. Alex says that there is a community center in town. He says that running used to relax me." He grinned then. "I know something even better though," he husked out bending to nibble on Skinner's knee.

Skinner smiled. "You are incorrigible, aren't you?"

"Do you mind?"

"Not in the slightest. But, go on. Alex is waiting." Skinner hoped that Mulder would remember Alex soon. He wanted to take Mulder in his arms... to go out and drag Alex out of the car and make them both beg and scream. But, he had promised Alex and in his heart he knew that it was the best thing for them all. Mulder wouldn't thank him for anything less once he regained his memories. While Mulder loved him he was sure of that, Mulder was in love with Alex. Only time could change that, not some mind fuck.

Mulder stood and bent to kiss Walter. "I'll be back. Do you want anything while I'm there?"

Skinner smiled. If he wanted anything, he could simply get it. It was sweet though. "No, Fox, go on. And don't let Alex keep you out too long."

Mulder smiled and headed out to meet Alex. He found Alex standing beside a white Range Rover talking heatedly with the biggest man Mulder was sure he had ever seen. From behind the man looked like a giant, silky blond hair tied back in a simple ponytail. His shoulders appeared to be five feet across though Mulder knew that couldn't be possible. "Hello," he said as he approached.

Alex's mouth clamped shut and he looked at Mulder with a small smile before stepping back from the big man. When the man turned Mulder frowned. He was young. Younger than Alex. Surely barely twenty. And beautiful. A smile curved the full lips and the man looked him up and down.

"Alex tells me you are going to go running." His voice was deep, silky, amused.

Mulder looked to Alex. "That's right. And you are?"

"This is Garren. Ignore him," Alex grumbled.

Fox felt a tightening in his stomach. Images of teeth, of claws dripping with blood, motion so fast it blurred... beating sounds above him, fire illuminating the darkness as things... unknown things... screamed in pain. Someone screaming his name... 'baby, we have run... '

"Fox! Fox, are you okay?"

Mulder shook his head to find Alex in front of him shaking him. "I'm fine... I just..."

"You zoned out," Alex said worriedly. "Maybe you should be in bed."

"Oh he definitely should be in bed," Garren chuckled.

Alex glared at him. "Don't even think about it," he hissed.

Garren simply smiled.

Mulder shrugged off Alex's hands. "Really, I'm okay. I just thought I remembered something... it's nothing. Please... let's just go. Garren, it was... nice to meet you," he managed to say, not knowing why he immediately disliked the man.

"I'll see you soon," Garren purred. "Talk to the old man soon," he added with a dark smile hovering on his face.

"What old man?" Mulder asked, confused.

"Just get in the car, Fox. He talks too much," Alex urged.

When Alex was closing his door, Garren stopped him and leaned in. "Tell Skinner that I'll not follow his little edict, cat."

Alex flushed and remained silent. When Garren pulled back he shut the door with a angry slam. He pulled away and sped up the darkening road. After a few minutes of silence he turned a quick glance at Mulder. "Don't let him get to you, Fox. He isn't important."

"Isn't he your lover?" Fox asked. "The Gunmen said you two were _tight._ "

Alex frowned. "Some people should learn to keep their mouths shut."

"It's not true then? I didn't get the impression that they were liars." For some reason the very idea of someone calling the three goofy men liars, made Fox angry and it showed in his tone.

Alex did want to have this conversation. Not now. Not ever if he could get away with it. "Garren isn't what he seems, Fox. He's not human."

Fox moved his head back in surprise. "Do I want to know?"

"No," Alex answered tersely. He sighed then. "This isn't exactly how I wanted things to go, Fox. I hope you know that." He frowned darkly. "Just tell me this. Skinner did kill the fucking bastard that took you didn't he?"

Fox shook his head. "I don't know. I... he was burning... I don't want to talk about it."

Alex turned to look at him, there was no trace of anger or boredom, just that solicitous concern. "It's okay. You don't have to."

"I'm sorry," Fox sighed. "I think I am not usually this high-strung. It's just been... weird."

Alex nodded and after a moment he said, "But you are always high-strung, Fox." When Fox gave him a shocked look, he shrugged. "Sorry, but you are. Brilliant, driven, loyal to a fault, tenacious like you wouldn't fucking believe, beautiful, paranoid and yes, high-strung."

Mulder flushed again. Every word had sounded like a caress. "Oh," he said. Grinning himself he added, "but wordy I ain't!"

Alex smiled, confused. "What?"

"I never know what to say to you, but 'oh'," he explained.

"Yeah, 'oh... oh... oh'," Alex teased, every syllable a sexual gasp.

Mulder flushed even hotter. "You... you are a flirt!" he accused, disconcerted further when Alex just laughed.

"That is something I can honestly say, no one has accused me of before. A Flirt. Hmm. I think I like it."

"Well just concentrate on driving and stop it," Mulder scolded.

"Why, am I bothering you?" Alex teased, enjoying the hot look on Fox's face. Even in the dim light he could see the flush. He knew it. Fox was on the edge of being turned on. God, he wanted to turn him all the way on... just pull the Range Rover over to the side of the road and show Fox just how he really gasped and groaned that little word.

Fox shifted uncomfortably in the seat. Hearing Alex gasp out 'oh' breathlessly, even when he had just been teasing had made him hot, embarrassed and guilty and hot. Would Alex gasp like that if someone licked the little crevice of his throat... the tender spot behind his ear? He shifted again, trying to ignore the sudden heaviness in his groin. "No... no I just think we should just go down... go to town I mean. Go to town and run," he said flustered.

Alex was suddenly reminded of that first night as lovers. How flustered Fox had been, how his words, every word seemed to connote some sexual vision. Of course at the time he had simply thought that Fox was ill, that was until Fox had molested him. Oh God, why couldn't Fox molest him again? "Okay. I'll be good. I promise," he said huskily, staring at Fox quickly from beneath the shelter of inky lashes.

"Somehow I think I should doubt you," Fox muttered, controlling himself with an effort.

**Fort Bragg Community Center  
Fort Bragg, California   
Day Eighteen   
Hour 2030**

They made it into town quickly, but for Fox it was a long drive. He couldn't resist taking long looks at Alex. Alex was so beautiful, the features almost too pretty, saved from femininity by the strong jaw and the surprising ability to look so serious. Too serious for one so young and gentle. They reached their destination, the Community Center was sitting dark in the wake of the sun's passage. Gone were the days of fluorescent light. Alex wondered grimly how long it would be before he would stop expecting the little luxuries of the past civilization.

"Well there certainly is a community center, but there aren't any lights," Fox observed. The sun was nearly completely down only giving off a few last, stubborn rays that barely trickled through the high windows of the community center gym. Fox had decided to run inside the center when they arrived, seeing that the track beyond was completely covered with darkness. "I should just run tomorrow," he sighed.

"No. You want to run now, we'll figure out a way. Get lanterns or something," Alex insisted stubbornly. They both stood in the doorway to the gym. Alex didn't like the long shadows that liberally covered the cold room. Fox stepped inside and Alex was able to stop his instinctive urge to drag Fox back. He frowned and kept right behind him. "It's a bit dark, Fox, maybe we should just not explore."

Fox chuckled, the smooth sound going straight to Alex's groin and for a moment he forgot the shadows and the things that might lurk therein.

"Don't worry, Alex, I'll protect you from the bogeyman," Fox assured as he walked to the center of the gym, standing in a beam of pale light. He stared up at the dust motes that were barely visible in the light and he shook his head. "Tomorrow will be soon enough." He turned to go back to Alex, only to find Alex right behind him. He bumped into the other man with a small exclamation of surprise at his nearness. Alex reached out to steady him, his strong hands firm on Fox's upper arms. A moment passed with the two just staring at one another until even that luxury vanished into shadow.

Alex breathed in Fox's scent. God it had been an eternity since he had had the pleasure of holding his lover, feeling their bodies rub against each other... and eternity since he had kissed the fucked-dazed expression off of Fox's face. His body strained in protest at the denial of its lover.

Fox stood, very aware that his erection was but millimeters from Alex's body. He sucked in air to desperate lungs. His eyes widened in surprise when he heard a small groan come from Alex. One that made him want to eat Alex alive.

"Alex... you... do you think we should just go back"?," Fox asked. The proximity of the other man was too much of a temptation. He stepped back and looked away from the sweet face. He sensed that Alex was moving closer and he held up his hand to stop him. "Alex, stop."

"Stop what?" Alex stroked Fox's face. "This?" The feel of Fox's face, stubbled and warm beneath his palm was heaven. Fox. Here with him. Wanting him, even if he didn't understand it. Alex understood then how someone would say they could die happy. That had always seemed, to him, a moronic sentiment, but now he understood. He smiled as Fox rubbed his face into his hand, the soft lips grazing Alex's palm.

"Yes, stop," Fox moaned. He knew he should not let the young man get under his skin, but he just wanted to taste those pink lips, to touch the muscular body everywhere. He gasped as he was drawn tight to that body. God, Alex was so tight, so hot. That thought led to another. How hot, how tight would he really be?

"I can't stop, baby, not now that I have you back. I can't... I can't... I have to touch you, kiss you. God." Alex was trembling as he bent to claim Fox's mouth. "Can't stop, Fox," he sighed. His lips grazed Fox's lightly. In seconds he would have to rape him he knew. Throw him down and reclaim what was his, but for now there was only butterfly kisses over ripe lips, over that tempting mole, all the while the blood throbbing in his erection an insistent reminder that this was the man he loved more than life itself. Fox's hands, hesitant at first, were suddenly avid in their exploration. Alex shuddered as those wonderful hands moved around him to cup his ass. "Fox," he moaned. "Fox. My Fox. My beautiful, beautiful, Fox." The name became a litany on his lips, carried in the darkening room in a voice that was almost tearful.

The emotion in Alex's voice served to break Fox out of his lustful daze. Something was wrong here. Alex was too emotional... he was missing something important and it made him draw back abruptly. "What's going on?" He could barely see Alex now and considering his raging passion that was definitely a plus. "This is wrong..."

"No, Fox, this is the only thing that isn't wrong. Can't you see that? Can't you remember that? Please, baby, remember that," Alex begged. "I need to you to remember that."

Fox looked away from the shadowy figure. He saw movement in the shadows on the east wall of the gym and he started. Alex reached for him again, but he turned so his back was to the young man, shielding him from whatever lurked in the darkness. He spread his arms out to further shield Alex and he moved backwards. "Something is in here, Alex," he whispered. To the darkness he called, "Who's there?" He narrowed his eyes, determined to protect the angel behind him, the sweet youngster who confused him more than his lack of memory. No sooner had he called out than there was a shuffling sound coming from the darkest portion of the gym. He had time to gasp before he was flung behind Alex. "What in the hell?" he growled.

"I know, I know, you can take care of your fucking self," Alex hissed. "Just back toward the door. NOW!"

Fox obeyed, but not before hooking a hand in the waist of Alex's jeans to drag him along with him.

"Let go, Fox," Alex demanded.

"No way," Fox growled.

"Hey, uh... we aren't in any trouble are we?"

"Huh?" both Alex and Fox asked at once. The voice had been young and trembling. Two small figures emerged from the blackness and approached hesitantly.

"Kids?" Fox chuckled. He made to move in front of Alex again but was unceremoniously pushed back.

"Don't assume anything in this fucked up world, Fox. Jesus, I can't believe you are still alive with how careless you are."

"Oh yeah? Well..."

"Are we?" the little boy asked again as he came to a halt before the two bickering men. He looked at his friend and with a little shrug they both ran out of the gym. Sneaking a cigarette was getting too complicated anyway.

The two men watched as the youths were illuminated briefly in the headlights of their vehicle, moving like wraiths in the night. Fox rubbed his arm where Alex had grabbed him and he followed in the wake of the boys. "You know, Alex, I get the distinct impression that you bug me," he growled. "You might think that muscle mass is the most important thing in a fight, but I've got age and experience on you. Need I remind you that I was an FBI agent?" He shook his head at the younger man who had followed him out. The headlights illuminated the bright blue of his running suit, the sheen nearly blinding him. He must look like some alien in the light. He paused at that thought almost missing Alex's chuckle. The sound was pleasant and he looked at Alex with a small grin beginning to form in response to the happy sound.

"I tell you, Fox, the more things change, the more things stay the same."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you always bitch at me for trying to protect you and you always bring up the agent crap... like I wasn't one too... to say nothing of what else I was... am."

Fox was trying to absorb the words, both the facts and the sense of history behind them. "You were an agent? Jesus, you are a kid!"

Alex frowned. "I am most certainly not a kid! I might be younger than you, but I am not a kid."

"Well, you might have been an agent, but you couldn't have been a good one," Fox judged.

Alex groaned. "I don't even want to know why you have reached that conclusion."

"Well, first you didn't even know we weren't alone..."

"You didn't either," Alex barked, though he was, in fact, very disturbed by that very same thing. Whatever had happened to change him was making him so easily distracted. Usually it was when he was with Fox, so distracted by his presence that he was deaf and blind to the things around him. He shook his head. Though he would have always been slightly distracted by Fox, his old self would never have completely relaxed, tantalizing though Fox was.

"I have just gone through a traumatic experience... I am supposed to be..." he snapped his fingers, searching for the word he wanted.

"Ditzy?" Alex offered helpfully.

Fox glared at him and climbed into the driver's seat. He waited until Alex clambered in and continued, "distracted. I am supposed to be distracted. And, second, you can't even tell a child from a monster."

Alex shook his head. "I don't think it is a safe bet that things are what they seem."

"Oh stop talking in that Obiwan Kenobi way, will you?"

Alex chuckled. "You are too much. I am more a Han Solo guy."

"Oh great, now we're onto Star Wars. Have we ever had a normal conversation?"

"No," Alex grinned. "Normal has never been our strong point."

"Our?" Fox had that feeling again. The feeling that there was something important just beyond his cognizance.

"Yeah. Fox?"

"What?"

"What exactly did Skinner tell you about me... about us?"

Fox frowned. "I told you that already. And why do you call him Skinner? He said he and you... well you are lovers aren't you?"

Alex glowered. "Is that what he said? Did he happen to mention that you and I were lovers?"

Fox flushed and felt his pulse begin a steady thrum straight to his groin. "He may have mentioned that," he admitted in an embarrassed voice. "I didn't know what to make of that. Why would I... we... be in a relationship like that? I guess it is different now. I mean you have Garren."

Alex flinched. "I do _not_ have Garren. Jesus, what a mess. You and I are in love. You and I! Not you and Skinner, or me and Garren. Don't you remember that?"

Fox shook his head and his breathing became harsh. He saw black eyes, intent and commanding. His head ached and yet he tried, tried so hard to remember that which he could not. He grabbed his head as the pain increased, but still he tried. A mural above him, green garments so lovely.

"Fox!" Alex cried as his lover lowered his head to the steering wheel. He leaned over to Fox, grabbing his shoulders and bringing Fox to him. "Fox... I'm sorry, what's wrong? You don't have to remember." When Fox whimpered in pain, Alex thought he might lose his mind. "Fox! Stop trying... I'm sorry. We aren't lovers. I was kidding. Just pulling the old chain. C'mon, baby, stop, you're scaring me."

Green. Green silk. Green, jade. 'I'm going to want everything,' a phantom voice, husky with passion. He shivered with pain. Alex was shaking him, his voice cutting through the pain. When he stopped trying to remember the pain vanished. He looked into Alex's eyes, noting the fear there. "I don't understand, Alex. If we love each other, why can't I remember you?" He traced one finger over Alex's cheek. "Why, if we love each other are you with Garren?"

Alex closed his eyes and shook his head. "Why you can't remember me? I don't know. Maybe you... maybe you don't want to... maybe..."

"Why wouldn't I _want_ to?" Fox asked. "Alex, I can tell that you care for me... I can even feel that there is a certain... attraction between us. Please tell me what is going on! I can't stand this. I can't stand not knowing. Can't you see that?"

Alex stroked Fox's face. "I'll tell you anything... everything."

"Thank you," Fox murmured turning to face Alex with his body. He rubbed his lower lip. "I want to know about Garren, for some reason that is what I can't accept." He paused. "Maybe that is understandable... maybe despite my memory lapse, the fact that you have another lover should concern me. Or am I wrong? Is this just another twist to an already confusing tale?"

"Garren is not my lover... not in the way you are... more in the way Skinner is," Alex began. "You and I are in love. We were together before any of this happened... before the world went to shit. Everything else... Skinner, Garren everything is part of this craziness."

"Walter is not crazy!" Fox argued. "He loves me... he loves you."

Alex nodded. "I think he does love you, maybe even me, but if this hadn't happened, if he hadn't changed somehow we wouldn't be with him. We agreed to stay with him, Fox, we did, but only because he could protect us." Alex leaned forward. "We _are_ lovers, Fox. Can't you see how it makes me feel for you to recognize Scully's voice and not mine?"

Alex looked away then and in the lights from the dash Fox could see moisture in those expressive eyes. "And Garren?"

Alex leaned his head back and gave a harsh laugh. "Yeah, Garren. He is another story, isn't he? He pretty much just takes what he wants."

Fox felt a surge of anger. "He rapes you?"

Alex looked out the passenger side window. "I... not anymore."

Fox reached out to touch Alex's face but Alex moved away. "Alex?"

"I can't explain it, Fox, I wish to Christ I could."

"You love him." It was a statement that caused Alex to turn to Fox with a surprised look.

"No!"

Fox nodded.

"No, Fox! I don't."

"I think you do," Fox rasped.

"I only love you. In all my adult life, I have only loved you. If I could get away from Garren, I would. If I could understand what makes him... what makes me want him I would change it. If I could leave this whole fucking thing behind, I would, if I could take you with me." Alex's voice was shaking, not with anger but with emotion of a different nature.

Fox had to look away from those eyes or he felt he might burn in their intensity. "I don't know what to do, Alex. I don't want to leave Walter. I do love him." He heard Alex's expulsion of breath and the pain in that sound hurt him too. "I want to remember you, Alex. Please don't think I don't. If it is true and you and I are in love, how could I not want to?"

"We should get back," Alex rasped.

"I don't want to hurt you," Fox whispered.

"I know you don't." A muscle flexed in Alex's jaw and Fox watched him for a moment.

"Maybe you should drive, Alex."

Alex frowned. "Okay. Why? Are you still in pain?"

The worry on his face made Fox feel ashamed that he had hurt him, even if he had had no desire to do so. "No," he managed. He got out of the car and walked to the passenger side. The night was quiet, too quiet. He felt like he was in a ghost town. No streetlights, no traffic noises, no distant sounds of television. Not even the sound of a barking dog. No insects buzzing. He stopped and looked around him. Distant windows were lit, but with flickering light. Alex put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's eerie isn't it?"

Fox looked at Alex and nodded.

"Let's get you back. I don't want anything else to happen."

"There aren't any sounds," Fox observed. "No birds, no insects..." he stopped abruptly when he saw several pairs of luminous eyes in the darkness around them. Amber lit eyes that winked in and out of the darkness, moving a bit. "Alex?"

Alex followed his gaze and frowned. "C'mon, get in."

Fox slid into the seat, but waited until Alex was safely in before he shut his own door, not wanting to impede any need to go to Alex's aid. "You saw them right?"

"Yeah. I think it's okay, but we need to get back." Alex maneuvered the vehicle back onto the street.

The flash of headlights illuminated several large men with glowing eyes and Fox stared at them in fascination until Alex sped away. "Alex, I swear they had hair growing in and out of their faces. Hairy one second, smooth the next."

"They are too afraid of Skinner and Antonio to stay changed."

"You know what they are?"

Alex nodded, "They're werewolves." He saw Mulder nod, not at all shocked, and he had to smile a little. Only Fox Mulder would take that information with aplomb. "That doesn't surprise you?" he had to ask.

"Werewolves have existed in human folklore for as long as recorded history... longer than that. In some caves in Malaysia, they even found depictions of what looked to be, large, hairy men, tearing to pieces and eating the flesh of warriors." He stopped. "I remember that! And I can't remember that it is my sister whose name is Samantha or who I'm in love with? But I remember there are cave drawings in Malaysia?"

Alex shook his head. "They say all memory is simply electrical impulses tied together with associations. You have enough associations and you can't forget. Of course you have an eidetic memory so whatever you read or see, you never forget so I don't know how it works with you. Maybe if you find enough associations..."

"It's not that, Alex. My memory was _taken_ from me," Fox sighed.

"Fox, I'm no scientist, but memory can't be taken from anyone... it can only be suppressed. Believe me, I have seen it tried"

Fox bit his lower lip, sucking on it while he thought. Alex's little groan broke him out of his reverie and he looked to the other man with a questioning, raised brow.

"Stop that, Fox. Stop sucking on your lip, stop looking so fucking dazed. Unless you want me to stop this car and... just stop it okay?"

Fox smiled a bit. "Sorry. A little too sexy for you?"

"It isn't funny," Alex growled.

* * *

"I know," Fox said in a voice that just barely sounded serious. He was looking innocently out the window when Alex glared at him.

'I'm serious, Fox."

"Me too," Fox assured.

"Unless you want me to stop this car and show you how serious I am you just stop."

"Oh, that serious. Hmmm. Do you want to?" he purred. "Make me remember? I wouldn't think that is the best suggestion. I mean there are wolves out there."

"They're Garren's. I think it's safe," Alex growled.

Fox looked at the serious, young man. "Garren is a..."

"Yes!" Alex snapped.

"Oh."

This time there was no teasing by Alex. Fox grew serious. "I'm sorry." Alex remained silent, a flex of muscle his only indication that he had heard Fox at all. "I was teasing. It was supposed to lighten the mood." He got a brief glare for that. "You know, ha ha?"

"Fox, I'm warning you. Stop! It isn't funny. You may think this is no big deal. But while you have no fucking memory of me, I can remember every thing about you. How you taste, how you feel and how you sound when we're making love. I can remember how you would look at me... just stop."

"I'm sorry," Fox whispered. "I didn't mean to upset you. I really didn't."

Alex nodded. And the silence in the car was tangible for the rest of the drive.

**McClellan Air Force Base  
Sacramento, CA   
Day Eighteen   
Hour 1430**

He walked down the corridor, he didn't hurry though his news was of great importance. The steady sound of his shoes on the tile helped him think. Fox Mulder was back in the fold. Back with Krycek. Were they even now ripping off one another's clothes? Was Alex fingering him as he had done so beautifully that morning? Or was the naughty Fox Mulder down on his knees sucking Alex's cock? He knew the taste so well himself that he reflexively licked his own lips. There were other uses for Krycek that was true. A man like that was invaluable... nearly. He was so sweetly deadly, like a cobra slithering out of its straw basket. Seemingly tamed to the trainer's hand, but viscious and almost certain to strike. Bill's son was lucky to get so close, to stroke the deadly thing and come away unscathed. Perhaps Alex was indeed tamed for Agent Mulder. What would he do for him? Anything? Everything? Would that loyalty extend to anyone who looked like the pretty agent? Or was it for him alone?

There were plans to be made. Plans that had to be quite clear before he reached his destination. That they would take blood from Mulder was a fait accompli. He had already sent word for his men to get the blood the next day. He had even told them how they might get close to the agent. He smiled, he had even warned them of his killer, Krycek. But he must be clever. There had to be a way to keep some little prize for himself. To keep Bill from suspecting anything. That was the trick. Bill Mulder was no one's fool. The door was before him and he paused, finalizing his decision. He entered the room and sat down in a chair near Bill.

"Your wayward child has been returned," he smiled. "But then you must know this already."

"I do," Bill nodded. "As I know that you sent our men to retrieve the samples."

Spender nodded. "Yes."

"So we are in readiness here?"

"We are. As soon as the material is delivered, we can begin. We need to decide an age," Spender added.

"As close to the real age as we can get," Bill said impatiently. "I do not want young clones of my son to be given away." His tone suggested that that would be hideous, while giving away older looking, absolutely innocent clones to be used as carnal pets by a monster was highly acceptable.

"Of course. However, how young does your son look now?"

"It doesn't matter. We are trying to please Murdoch, and he wanted my son as he is... was."

"There is the time consideration as well," Spender purred.

"What age can we attain in the quickest time? Mind you nothing younger than, say twenty-four will be acceptable."

"Such an arbitrary number, Bill. It is all irrelevant in any case. These clones will be as knowledgless as any infant. We never age clones in stasis. Whatever we produce will be childlike."

Bill frowned. "What are you suggesting?"

"A compromise."

"Yes?"

"We age them to the oldest age possible in a limited time... keep them for a week after to expose them to some experience... just enough that we aren't handing over blank slates."

"Why? So they can know that there is another reality other than that of sex slave? We don't even know if they will be changed."

"As I said, it is irrelevant. And in the end, the decision is yours."

Bill stood and walked to the window. "We'll age them past the age of twenty-four. If we have the time, we will give them some basic experiences... how to eat, how to clothe themselves." He stopped. It was all necessary, but distasteful. "How long to age them?"

"Not long. Not with our allies' experience with aging their own young, say two weeks?"

Bill frowned. It wasn't that long, but their allies were growing restless. "You are in charge of this, Spender."

Spender hid a smile. "I think you should be the one to take them to Murdoch. He'll know that you are in charge. He might take offense to an underling being sent to him." His words were smooth, with just the right level of deference.

Bill considered this. "You may be right, old friend."

"And as the father of his obsession, you might even hold some honor in his eyes."

Bill raised a brow. "Honor a man who would sell his own son, or part of him?"

"Murdoch is a man like us. He sees the end beyond the means."

Bill chuckled and poured himself a brandy. "A true end needs no justification, is that it?"

"It has been said, I think."

The two men chuckled together and for awhile they sat and talked of inconsequential things. The plans were set in motion. All they had to do was sit back and wait.

**Cabins  
Fort Bragg, California   
Day Eighteen   
Hour 2115**

The cabin was brightly lit and both men had their own thoughts about the difference between it and the town. Fox was happy that Skinner was able to provide light and other luxuries, while Alex was resentful of the reminder of how dependent they were on Skinner. He slid out of the expensive vehicle pausing only briefly to assure himself that Fox was coming and continued on toward the cabin. Fox's voice stopped him.

"Alex?"

He sighed, stopped and turned back to Fox. Even in that bright blue sweatsuit, Fox was beautiful. He clenched his fists to keep from dragging Fox to him... to keep from forcing Fox to accept the way things were!

"Don't be angry with me." He reached out and touched Alex's arm. His eyes were earnest and worried, slightly wider than normal, searching Alex's face. "I shouldn't have teased you. It wasn't fair."

Alex shook his head, "I'm not angry with you, Fox... just the situation."

"But, I shouldn't have made fun of you. You were right."

Fox looked down at his feet, looking so much like a little, lost boy who expected to be yelled at that Alex couldn't resist pulling Fox to him and burying his face in Fox's fragrant hair. "I'm the one who should be sorry, baby, you've been through enough, you don't need me to make it worse... to try and force you to remember. It was selfish."

Fox shook his head, not in the slightest bit interested in pulling away, there was something so wonderfully comfortable about being wrapped in Alex's arms. Alex smelled nice, soapy... musky. "No it wasn't. I want to remember. I need help to remember."

Alex made a strange noise and Fox looked up from the warm chest, feeling strangely vulnerable, strangely reluctant to withdraw from the embrace.

"I don't want you to be in pain. If it comes back to you, fine, if not, I want you to promise not to force it. Baby, you were in pain... I can't stand that. I'd rather anything happen to me or anyone else than you be in pain."

Fox stared into the serious, face. The eyes that were so wide, so innocent of the horrors of the world. He reached out a hand to stroke that young face. "I don't want you to worry, Alex. I think I can handle a little pain." He smiled as a dark frowned marred the angelic look of Alex's face. "Don't frown. I think Walter's right. The longer I am away from Mikhail the easier it will be... that is if he didn't really _take_ my memories from me."

Alex didn't look convinced, but the door to the cabin opened and Skinner stepped out.

"You two are back so soon. Is everything okay?" Skinner's voice was worried as he stepped close to the two.

Fox smiled and nodded his head. "We're fine. It was too dark."

Skinner frowned. "I could have..."

Alex shook his head, "Forget it, Skinner. We don't need to be that pampered."

"I didn't mean..." Skinner began.

"We know what you meant," Alex growled. "We aren't pets."

"Alex," Fox scolded. "Walter was just being nice."

Alex rolled his eyes, but he didn't continue baiting Skinner. He moved past the big man into the cabin pausing in the doorway for Fox to follow.

Fox squeezed Walter's hand and gave him a little smile. "Let's go inside," he suggested.

Skinner smiled back and thumbed Fox's lower lip. "Langly is making a great dinner. You won't believe all the food. I'm sorry you couldn't run. I didn't even think about the lights."

"Don't worry, Walter. I ended up with something better," Fox smiled in Alex's direction. "Alex and I talked."

Skinner raised a brow, "Good?"

"Yeah, good."

"Fox, come on," Alex urged.

Fox turned to go in, but paused and looked back into the warm brown eyes. "I know why you said I would want to come back, now. Not just for my friends, but for him."

Skinner nodded. "Do you remember now?"

"Not a bit," Fox smiled. "But, thank you."

Skinner laughed a bit. "Don't thank me, Fox. I would have brought you back with me even if there had been no Alex to come home to."

Fox grinned, and for a minute all he could think of was warm nights and Skinner above him, the slick slide of Skinner possessing him. He shivered with desire and for a moment he seriously thought about leaning in to capture the stern mouth, aching to feel the slow burn he knew it could ignite in him, but Alex was waiting. Alex. He turned to go to him hoping that Walter would follow, that things would work out for them all, but not sure how it would. He still felt as if Walter was his, but Alex was so sweet, so gentle, so beautiful. How could he not want him?

Inside the three Gunmen were gathered in the kitchen, Scully sat on the lap of a man he hadn't yet seen and an older woman sat in a chair near them. The older woman got up and went to him, a soft smile on her face. This must be Maggie, he thought before the woman gathered him in for a hug.

"I am so glad you're back with us, Fox," she said softly. "Antonio came and brought me here to be with you." She gave Antonio a small smile. "That was an interesting experience," she smiled. "How are you?"

He tilted his head and shrugged, "I guess I am doing great."

"But, you don't remember anything?"

"He will," Scully assured from the comfort of the darkly handsome man's lap.

Fox eyed the man with a bit of concern. Somehow he didn't quite think Scully was the type to sit on a man's lap. It bothered him for some reason.

"Mulder, Skinner wouldn't let us make burritos," the man with the long, blond hair bemoaned from the kitchen.

Fox smiled, but his expression changed to one of contemplation as the three men skittered out of Alex's way as he went to inspect the meal in progress. They, save for the shortest of the trio, seemed to want to scatter like a herd of antelope with a big cat prowling near. It, frankly, stunned Fox. They eyed the young man warily, even the short one. Alex was scowling, but otherwise not doing anything threatening. What could the men possibly fear from his little angel? He frowned at the men, wondering if their reaction might somehow hurt Alex. Alex was obviously very sensitive, Fox mused. In a show of support he went to Alex's side and put his hand on the small of his back, peering over the wide shoulder at the food Alex was inspecting.

"I'm making shrimp linguine," Langly stuttered. The blonde man actually squeaked when Alex turned his gaze on him. "Y-you like shrimp don't you, Krycek?"

Alex nodded.

"My compadre has taste," the little man approved. "I'm Frohike, Mulder. Do you know that?"

Fox shook his head. "It does seem right though."

"This is Byers," Frohike said, pointing to the slight, bearded man. "And this is Langly." The blonde bowed a bit, yet his eyes were still trained on Alex.

"You prefer burritos," Langly informed him. Alex moved away from the stove and the men shifted like that same antelope herd. Fox held on to his temper, just glad that Alex hadn't seemed to notice. When Alex was out of ear shot Langly moved beside him. "Is Krycek angry? He seems... uh... tense."

"Yeah, and a tense Krycek is a scary Krycek," Byers added.

"Are you guys for real?" Fox whispered. "Alex is just upset that I can't remember, but scary? He doesn't even look old enough to shave! C'mon guys." Bending into the huddle of odd men felt strangely familiar, as if he had spent many an hour in just the same manner, whispering, plotting, and just plain theorizing with the three men.

"Mulder, I know you don't remember, but Krycek is scary," Langly whispered, his eyes swimming oddly behind incredibly thick frames.

"Yes, Mulder, just because he is soft on you, doesn't change that," Byers added, taking a moment to verify that Krycek was indeed out of earshot.

"We've even seen his handiwork." He looked to Frohike. "Remember Mulder's apartment? It looked like a scene out of 'Faces of Death' and that is going lightly on the subject."

Frohike turned a little green at the memory. "Oh, I had blocked that out. Don't get us wrong, Mulder," he said in a conspiratorial whisper, "he's cool and all... but when he is angry... well, it is best to be careful."

"Look at them," Skinner chuckled. He stared at the four men, huddled together whispering amongst themselves. Scully grinned. "They must have some magnetic attraction."

"They do tend to huddle," she agreed. "Amazing. Mulder can't remember any of us, but there he is, conferring with his three muses as always."

Alex was staring out the window, seeing nothing but trees shadowed by the full moon. In the distance he heard the eerie howls of the wolves calling to the moon. He shivered, wondering if one of those howls painting the night was Garren's. The wind carried the sound, but he knew the wolves were far away. He looked at the moon, it was dominant in the sky, a huge gem surrounded by a billion stars. Did it enchant the wolves as the legends proclaimed? He had seen so little of Garren since Fox's return. While he was grateful to have time alone with Fox, he wondered at it. Was Garren simply giving him space, or had he lost interest? Neither explanation rang true, and he stared at the moon once more. Skinner touched his shoulder and he tensed for a moment, but he relaxed as that hand just gently rubbed.

"Are you all right, Alex," Skinner asked.

"I will be."

"He will remember. You'll see."

"I... he tried, but when he did..."

"It hurt him," Skinner finished for him.

"Yes." Alex looked at Skinner then, his eyes softer than Skinner had seen them since he'd realized that Skinner had brought Fox back. "I know that you were telling the truth about that at least." Alex narrowed his eyes, thinking. "It doesn't excuse you keeping him from me so long, but at least you were telling the truth about that."

Skinner sighed, a tired sound that held no indignation. "I don't have to tell you that I want him to remember. You know that I do."

"Yes, but..."

"There are no buts." Skinner traced one hand over the fine line of Alex's jaw. "After dinner, you and Fox will be alone. And you, assassin, will keep both of you from mischief."

Alex frowned. "Where will you go?"

"I want to leave tomorrow." Skinner moved away from Alex with regret. "As I need less sleep than before, I'll see to our transportation, supplies and meet with the town leaders to assure them that our departure will not change their lives."

Alex nodded. "Garren..."

Skinner's face darkened. "What about him?"

Alex shook his head, "Nothing." It wouldn't do anything to tell Skinner that Garren would refuse his edict. What happened beyond he and Fox was nothing that he wanted to think of. He and Skinner both looked as one toward Fox who was just now emerging from his huddle.

* * *

Fox sat on the floor, his warm mug on the coffee table, elbows propped on the slick, wooden surface, face cradled in his hands as he listened with great amusement while Scully told another "Mulder" story. Alex was sitting beside him, knees drawn up and his fingers laced around his knees. Frequently he smiled at Mulder, seeming content to just sit next to him and listen to the conversation around them. The man sitting next to Scully, Antonio, stared at Fox frequently, frank desire on his classical features. Antonio was like Skinner, Mulder knew instinctively. The two radiated something almost tangible, some power that flowed just beneath the surface, electric and compelling. Maggie was different from the rest. Skinner had explained to him some bit of the changes and though Fox couldn't really tell, not having been around many normal people since Skinner rescued him, he could tell that Maggie was... normal. That was the only thing he could think of. The others were more _there_ somehow, though that did not detract from Maggie's charm. She was yawning and soon rose, looking to Antonio expectantly.

Scully looked at Mulder and smiled. "I guess it is late. We should get going."

Skinner walked everyone to the door and touched Maggie's arm. "I'll take you back to town if that is where you'd like to sleep. I wanted to talk to some people there about our plans to leave in the morning anyway."

Maggie nodded, waved at Fox and Alex and went outside to wait for Skinner.

The Gunmen decided to go into town as well and Skinner sighed. He had hoped to just take Maggie in the quickest way, just going to the side of any of the people in town would have done the trick, but with all the Gunmen along he decided to just take the Range Rover.

Fox stood and went to Skinner's side. "Are you coming back late?"

Skinner nodded. "Don't wait up. I may not come back tonight at all." At Fox's disappointed look he chuckled, knowing the cause, smelling Fox's need. "You will be fine here with Alex."

Fox looked at Alex who had risen as well, but had stayed near the couch. He smiled at the young man. "I know I will, I just..."

Skinner bent and kissed Fox's cheek. "Baby, you can do whatever you like. Trust me, I rather love you and Alex together."

Fox frowned, confused again. He couldn't understand the relationship the three of them had, but he knew that he wanted sex. It was something he didn't think he'd like to go without much longer. And though Alex was beautiful, and his lover, he didn't know him really... though when he thought about it, he didn't know Walter either. He sighed. Sure that whatever he was, he seemed to be a nymphomaniac.

"Alex, take care of him," Walter ordered, with a gleam in his eyes.

Alex raised one brow and said nothing, but his eyes glittered dangerously. Walter chuckled at that, enjoying Alex's every expression.

Fox watched everyone leave and then turned to Alex. "So."

Alex smiled, "So."

Fox found his feet interesting, watching one foot rub the other. "I think everyone had a good time," he mumbled lamely, watching the way the blue tracksuit reflected the light.

Alex wanted to go to Fox and tell him not to be so nervous, but instead he affected a yawn. "I think I am going to just go to sleep on the couch. I know you wouldn't feel right sleeping with me just yet, and you need your sleep, baby."

Fox didn't want to sleep, but neither was he sure he wanted to sleep next to Alex just yet. Just sitting next to him was enough to rattle every nerve in his body. But instead of agreeing he just stared at the picture Alex made, standing in the light of the dying fire behind him, built more for atmosphere than any need for warmth. A flash of memory assailed, so brief that he barely had time to make any sound of the pain that accompanied the memory, Alex stumbling out of the darkness, the feeling of utter relief at seeing him, Frohike's voice shouting something... 'zombie' and then nothing. Alex was at his side asking him if he were okay and Fox frowned. He wasn't some china doll that would fall apart with any little pain, but Alex seemed to think so. He couldn't work up any anger over Alex's concern though, especially not when he had just remembered something of him.

"I'm fine... I just saw you... you... were drunk I think... stumbling."

"I have never been drunk a day in my life," Alex retorted, sounding insulted. "I have pretended to be, but never have actually been."

Fox chuckled. "Give yourself a few years, Alex."

Alex groaned. How young did Fox think he was anyway?

"But you were there, in my memory. Don't you see? I think it will all come back." Fox was excited, but his excitement was cut off by a huge yawn. "I think maybe if I get some rest..."

Alex smiled, feeling a great deal better about sleeping apart from his lover. If Fox was starting to remember then he wouldn't have many nights alone... maybe just this one. "Let me just take a quick shower and then I'll leave you to the bedroom."

Fox nodded and then the image of water sluicing down Alex's body hit him. Whether it was a lurid fantasy or a memory, he had to turn away quickly to hide the flush on his face. He could see the way the hot water would trail down the rounded pecs, flush over the hard stomach, finding little crevices to linger in the defined muscled there, gathering in the dark hair below... he made a small sound, a desperate sound. He almost begged to be there with Alex, kneeling on the shower floor, mouth open to catch the water that would wash from the juncture of his muscled legs. Tonguing the hard flesh, tasting it, knowing it would taste so good.

"Fox?" Alex inquired, worry in his voice once more.

Fox was able to escape the fantasy at the tone. Alex would get sick of having to worry about him soon. He was probably more used to Fox worrying over him. "Oh nothing, just yawning."

Alex frowned, rubbed Fox's back and nodded. "Okay." He stepped around Fox, casting one last look in his direction before going into the bathroom off the only bedroom.

Fox followed, eager to take off the tracksuit, grinning a bit at how polite everyone but the Gunmen were about it. Langly had asked for sunglasses while the other two snickered. He felt good around these people, comfortable. The sound of the shower going on made him groan again. The sound of the shower door closing made him hard. God he wanted him. Memory or no, he wanted Alex. He would be wet now, the black hair slick, everywhere. The smell of soap drifted out of the open door. That was his angel, sweet and clean, wet and hot. He buried his face in his hands, wanting to remember everything about Alex. He could go in there, he knew. Alex would welcome him. 

He could taste him, hold him, but what of Walter? Would he, despite his words, be hurt? With resolution he finished undressing and found a pair of pajamas, too big, again too blue. What was it with the former owner and blue? 

The shower ended abruptly and a whole new set of erotic images assailed him. Alex toweling his body off, would he caress himself? Did he feel the same need for sensation that Fox did? Fox ran a hand down his own body, lightly touching the rings in his nipples through the thin, cotton fabric, gasping at the jolt that touch sent to his groin.

Alex came out of the shower, a towel around his waist. Of course it seemed wrong. Alex would have sauntered out nude, proud of his body, or unconcerned about its effect. HE was being considerate, Fox supposed. It wasn't enough. He looked positively edible. He turned away from the vision, hiding in the pillow and hoping his lust wasn't visible. It felt as if anyone with eyes could see the strong emotion, but Alex simply bid him goodnight, his voice husky with some emotion, and left Fox to his misery. Shower. Cold shower, Fox thought. That is what I need. A scene flashed, him pushing Alex against a wall, claiming those pretty lips while those green eyes were wide with shock, rubbing himself up against the delicious body. It was another memory, he knew. He smiled to himself. He would remember everything in time.

* * *

**Shenadoah Valley, California  
Day Eighteen   
Hour 2300**

Garren ran with the night, listened to the distant sound of thunder and let his limbs stretched out, finding the rhythm of the chase. Far away from Skinner and Antonio, east of them, toward the call of Murdoch, but not so far that he couldn't make it to Alex's side in a few hours time. He had forbidden most of the pack to come with him, ordering them to Alex's protection. Alex's and the sweet, hot little prince. Alex couldn't take losing Fox again, and so the pack would protect Fox as well. The honor of protecting Garren's mate was one that would not be for the pack members in the area for long. Even now the strongest of the pack worldwide were making their way to him, to take their place as his mate's guardians. Even his littermates wanted to come, but the bloodline would have to stay spread round the world or the pack would grow restless without it. And so his littermates stayed where they were, no matter how much they longed for the honor. The oldest wolves, some so strong that even an ascendant would take pause, would let nothing stop them to get to Garren's side. Garren grinned. Poor Skinner, he would soon find himself surrounded, not by weak pack members, but frightening creatures that would let nothing stand in their way in their loyalty to the bloodline, to Garren. Of course Garren had to be careful for his cat's sake. No matter what his cat hissed and spat at Skinner, he cared for him. The prince was especially fond of the ascendant and would be hurt by any trauma to Skinner.

It was difficult for Garren to judge just the best route to take. He would prefer to have the pack descend on Skinner. There would be massive loses on the side of the pack, but eventually they would tear him limb from limb, taking the pieces far apart to prevent Skinner from regaining form, but Alex would hate that. Too there was the benefit to the pack if Skinner could balance out Murdoch. Murdoch was strong to the east, his hunters ripping through the human population without thought. The pack needed humans, would not survive without them. They could feed on anything but it was human's that they needed, that made life interesting. Of course Skinner would not let them hunt humans, but he and his allies would ensure that humans prospered. For the benefit of the pack, Garren would have to insist they roam far from Skinner, but they could hunt Murdoch's humans and around the world. He sighed, putting more distance between he and the ascendant and consequently, his mate. Still the run, the hunt was exhilarating. He was in the valley now, the moon heavy above him. Further east a band of humans were making their way toward the safety of Skinner. Maybe he would take just a few of them. The lure of hot blood in the moonlight, gasping cries of pleasure as flesh was ripped from bone made him howl again and race in the moon's shadow.

**Cabins  
Fort Bragg, California   
Day Nineteen   
Hour 0300**

In his dream he saw the room as it was, elegant, sumptuous. The bed beneath him almost too soft, Mikhail above him, hard. Some terrible feeling, some horrible loss as Mikhail stroked him so gently. His words whispered into Fox's ear, //I wish I could do the same to your memories of the other, but I cannot risk that. But it was Alex you gave your soul to wasn't it, love? Was he your little strength? Was he? I have never known such love as that which you tried to cling to, but at least it explains your fight. I will remember him for you, Fox. I will remember his midnight hair and cat eyes.// Fox sat up gasping, sweating, his heart racing. Awake.

"Alex," he gasped. He started to get up, to find Alex in the other room but he was there, standing over the bed already. He was standing in the thread of moonlight looking for all the world like some fantastic vision; hair tousled from uneasy sleep; dressed only in unbuttoned jeans, his body gloriously formed, like some mythical warrior snatched from the pages of a fairytale. Surprised to see Alex beside the bed, Fox almost forgot his strange dream.

"I heard you, you sounded like you were having a nightmare," Alex said softly, explaining his presence in the bedroom. He sat gently on the edge of the bed. "Are you all right?"

Fox could almost see the color of Alex's eyes in the dark. "Green eyes," he whispered to himself. "I was dreaming of Mikhail..."

"He can't hurt you anymore, baby," Alex sighed and reached out to stroke Fox's face.

"No, I was remembering... he said your name, said he would remember you for me." Fox grabbed Alex's hand. "I kept thinking of... seeing green... I didn't understand it... but it was you, all the time, your eyes." He pulled Alex's hand back to his face, rubbing the long fingers over his cheek. "I was trying to remember you... and he took it away..."

* * *

Alex felt the moisture on Fox's face and he pulled him to him, holding him tight. "Oh, baby, I'm so sorry."

"I can't... I don't understand why, but I remember feeling like I was dying." He held tight to Alex's muscular frame. "He took you away from me. I don't... I can't..."

"Shhh. You're with me now," Alex sighed warmly into Fox's ear.

"But, I don't remember falling in love, I don't remember loving you... why would he do that? I gave him everything he wanted, why would he take that from me?"

"I don't know."

"I gave him everything... I didn't fight... I didn't try to get away... I just let him do anything, everything," Fox choked out.

Alex was trembling, wanting to cry as he felt Fox shudder, feeling helpless in the face of Fox's pain. "Maybe you were fighting him and you didn't know it, maybe that is why he had to take all your memories... to make you think he really was your lover," he said in a soothing voice. "You're with me now, Fox, and I'll love enough for both of us until you remember... remember me." He squeezed Fox tighter, almost too tight, but Fox simply returned the embrace.

Here, smelling Alex's skin, feeling the heat of his body pressed tight to him, Fox felt, for the first time since Walter had carried him out of the burning house, that he was home. The horrible feeling of loss, of missing something important was gone for the moment. He pushed aside his feelings for Walter, feeling so right, so very nearly perfect. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

Alex tensed, always wary of being given something, especially that which he wanted above all else. "I'll stay," he managed to say.

Fox lay back, pulling Alex down beside him, suddenly exhausted. But the feel of Alex's body, curled up behind him was sticking a needle full of speed into his arm. Every inch of him ached with desire and warred with sadness inside him. Alex was stroking his hair, kissing his neck, soothingly, but it made Fox moan and arch into the touch. Alex stiffened, realizing that his comforting touches were having quite the effect on Fox. He groaned into Fox's ear and held him tighter, his hardness a sudden pressure on Fox's buttocks.

Alex wanted to kiss every inch of Fox, the little gasps of desire his simple touches had elicited made him burn. When Fox pushed back against his erection he groaned, "Please, baby, you're driving me crazy. I can't be like this with you and not have you."

Those words, spoken in the dark, with such painful desire made Fox come undone. He turned quickly in Alex's arms, pinning the younger man to the bed, surprising Alex. But he didn't pause to admire the surprised look on the pretty face, he simply bent and devoured those pink, moist lips. Groaning as Alex's mouth opened and an eager tongue slid hotly against his own. He drank up the kisses as a starving man might gulp water after stumbling out of a burning desert, and like that man, he couldn't get enough, was a little crazed in the drinking. Sweet, hot, slick, that was Alex. That was his little angel. He left the mouth to kiss those eyes, closed with passion, he bit gently on the elegant brows, tonguing the fine, black hair. He slid his mouth to the sharp cheekbones moaning Alex's name, more a ode to his beauty than any attempt at eliciting a response. Alex was running his hands up and down Fox's back, moving down to squeeze and part Fox's buttocks, Fox's name on his lips, his own ode to love.

Fox wanted more. He slid down to kiss and nibble Alex's neck, feeling the erratic pulse beneath the tender skin. Alex was rubbing Fox's cheeks together, so hot, that Fox wanted to die right then. His flesh ached as Alex pulled the two cheeks apart, hard, frantically, but it wasn't that that Fox wanted. He would have Alex in that way later, for now he wanted to devour him, devour every inch of the soapy, hot skin. Take him into his mouth and swallow him whole, then part those muscled legs and reclaim him. He shook with his need and moved his mouth to Alex's nipples, worshipping there until Alex began to pant, biting them until Alex cried out. Every sound Alex made, every restless shift of his beautiful body on the sheets made Fox crazier. Such a wanton angel, such a feast for the senses. Alex.

He trailed his mouth down Alex hard stomach tonguing the indentations of muscled flesh.

"God, your mouth, baby, it's so soft... oh... F-Fox," Alex whimpered, tossing his head back and forth on the pillow.

Fox moved lower, tugging at the unwanted denim until Alex lifted his hips and let Fox slide the jeans off. Fox stared at the nude glory in the moonlight. All hard. All muscle. All his. He gripped Alex's thighs, pushing them apart to make room for his body. He wanted to tease Alex, make him scream, but he would be torturing himself. Alex's erection was hard against his belly, wetting his navel with his excitement. Fox bent to it, lapped at the head, tonguing it in long lapping strokes until Alex did scream. The sound made Fox growl, and he held the stiff erection in his hand and fed it to his greedy lips, sucking hard, making Alex scream again. Alex's legs were spread out, his arms above him holding on to the headboard to keep from grabbing Fox and taking him. Fox watched Alex in the moonlight, how he thrashed and whimpered and screamed, his legs scissoring back and forth in tandem with his head. He slid up off Alex's cock, grabbing Alex's thighs and pushing them up to his chest, not pausing for a second before nipping gently at the tight scrotum, trailing liquid heat down behind it to find the sweet spot that he was hungry to claim. His tongue there, swabbing, parting tight muscle, sliding in and stroking.

Alex was beyond screaming, beyond panting, he just tried to breathe. Fox, this was Fox. Fox was doing these wonderful things to him. No one but Fox. God, it was all he wanted. He heard cloth sliding over flesh and realized that Fox was taking off the pajamas. Fox was naked between his legs. He wanted to open his eyes to feast upon the sight, but a finger was probing him, gently, shaking with lust and then another. He cried out in frustration as Fox moved away, but he returned too soon to complain.

"I figured this would be nearby," Fox moaned.

Alex had no idea what he was talking about. Didn't care, just wanted Fox inside him. He had a moment to understand when he felt the slickness of lube being rubbed in, but then coherent thought was gone as Fox began to enter him. His head so perfect and fat, pushing past the reluctant muscles and sinking slowly inside. There was no moment of rest, no calm before the storm, there was only the storm, the sliding thrusts that that took Alex's breath away. "Fox, yes, Fox. Fox," he moaned.

Fox couldn't describe, even to himself, how good Alex felt. How hot, tight and slick. A tight sheath of velvet that squeezed him and shuddered around his cock. He angled up and heard Alex scream, a sound that made him thrust harder, again and again, thrusting just so, making Alex buck and writhe, his head hitting the pillow. Fox bent to kiss Alex's mouth, and their tongues mated wildly. Fox swallowed Alex's scream as he grabbed Alex's erection, pumping it in time to his thrusts. He swallowed the next scream and the next until his screams mingled with Alex's in the heat of their mouths. Their bodies moved together frantically, the feeling building to such sensation that they both grew silent and there was only the sound of their bodies.

And when they had stilled, and Alex was cuddled up to Fox, his back to Fox's belly, Alex whispered. "I love you, baby." When there was no reply, Alex chuckled. "Are you back yet?"

Fox couldn't hear him; he had fallen asleep, the smell of his angel's hair, the warmth of his body, lulling him into dreamless surrender.

The gentle breathing behind him made Alex sigh with pleasure. He didn't need to move he was perfect just as he was, Fox still inside him, soft now, but present, his strong arms about him, the smell of him everywhere. As Alex was drifting to sleep, pressed back into Fox's chest, he felt what seemed to be warm metal rings pushing into his back, yawning tiredly he simply let the sensation blend in with the others and he joined Fox in slumber.

**J. Edgar Hoover Building  
Washington D.C.   
Day Nineteen   
Hour 0600**

Murdoch walked through the deserted halls of the Hoover building. He went to Skinner's office, everything as it was as Skinner had left it. Files on cases neatly stacked, coffee mug rinsed out and placed to the side. He looked around until he found what he was looking for, an address book. 

He flipped through it and smiled. "Mom and Dad's," Murdoch read aloud. "How sweet." He would send someone to check to see if Skinner's parents were still alive, just as he had sent some of his followers to find and retrieve Tina Mulder. She was already ensconced in a penthouse apartment in the glorious city, catered to and treated like a queen. Skinner's parents would not fare so well. They would beg for death, long before it came, if they still lived. Tina had not been impressed by the pampering really, just stared at Murdoch when they had met, stared at him with eyes that reminded him so of his sweet foxling. She had asked no questions and had seemed completely unaffected by the changes around her, until he had mentioned her son. Then her eyes had narrowed and she picked up the cup of tea she had ignored before, sipping slowly before meeting his eyes without any fear.

"What have you done with him?" She asked, her voice betraying any emotion, but Murdoch could smell her anger, her reluctant fear for her child. 

He sensed to that she was not surprised that he would mention Fox.

Standing now, in Skinner's old office with the trappings of his meaningless life about him, he wondered at Fox's mother's response to his declaration of love for her son. His plans for her beautiful child.

"He won't love you. He can't love anyone. His father and I saw to that." 

Her words had been, like all the others, emotionless, but he had smelled her guilt, her regret so thick in the air. "His father with his lies and his scheming and me without anything to give him." She had stood then and walked to the window, staring out at the city, lights everywhere people crowding the street, kept in order by things out of nightmares. "I am glad he is alive," she finally said, and she resumed sipping her tea.

An odd woman, a cold woman, Murdoch mused. How has one such as she raised such an incredible man? Fox was everything she was not, impetuous, passionate and deeply emotional. Those things were not really necessary for Murdoch to enjoy him, Fox need only lay with his legs widely spread, mouth obediently open, for Murdoch to enjoy him, but it did make the whole package so sweet. The shadows in Skinner's office moved as the Shades crept about him, waiting to be of use. He scattered them as he made his way to the elevator and Fox's basement office.

"I Want to Believe," Murdoch chuckled. What an enchanting sentiment. Did his prince still want to believe? And where had the witches gone? 

They had not completed their task, nor had they bothered to make contact since he had sent them on it. He went to Fox's desk, fingering the chair that had cradled the long, lean body and sat in it himself, feeling close to his prince. 

He looked above him and chuckled darkly. Dozens of pencils were in the ceiling as if his pet had been bored many a long day in the office. He looked through Fox's things, his precious files, until pressing business called. He took the elevator back o the main floor and walked toward the front entrance. 

The smell of the dead was lovely but the corpses would bring disease to his fine city. He smiled as he stepped over them, most intertwined, nude. He ordered that the building be cleared, that every building be cleared, the dead would burn in glorious piles for weeks to come. He closed the door to Fox's office and bid that no one enter it save himself and in due course his prince.

He walked outside, the air was cool, the day ready to be born. A thousand humans had been picked already to be allowed to live in the city, attractive every one of them. He chuckled. They thought their looks had saved them, but his eyes already had fallen on a dozen beauties who would decorate his slings, long legs tied and spread, their bounty naked for his toys. 

The Mall had been transformed into a gallery of such sights, his followers toying with lovely women and men alike. But in his personal slings they were all men, of different races and looks, but all lean and well-formed. Strong enough to last long for his pleasure.

He took the leash of his sweet foxling-alike, the one that had become a permanent fixture to his side. Poor thing looked exhausted, head bowed so that a lock of russet hair fell onto his forehead, hazel eyes dazed, ripe lips swollen from use. Two changed males stood at the ready as well. 

While they were the focus of attention human and hunter alike, it was his foxling alike that would sit on his lap for the ride to his Penthouse, the one whose ass he would part and enter on the short drive. He set the two changed males to pleasuring each other once the long, black limousine was in motion. 

The smell of them even excited sweet Michael and he rode Murdoch eagerly, twisting his hips to touch the spot that made him purr. Even when Foxling was at his side, he would keep this sweet young one around. He grinned, of course it would be Foxling who looked exhausted then, but still he would play with this one. He watched the changed males sucking each other, their scent intoxicating, their bodies writhing in helpless pleasure. Like mindless animals when the need for sex took over. What little treasures. They were fingering each other, moaning and pumping their bodies, exciting his foxling-alike even more. He bent to bite the smooth shoulder, not so hard as to cause agony as he would do later with one of his sling-toys, but enough to make him cry out, and perfectly trained, to come.

**Cabins  
Fort Bragg, California   
Day Nineteen   
Hour 0700**

Mulder woke first, to find that he was laying atop Alex, head nestled in Alex's neck, one hand curled in Alex's dark hair. He grinned a little. 

Not going to let him sneak away, he thought. It made him pause. Why would he think Alex would sneak off? Indeed, he had thought in that brief moment that Alex might vanish... as if he had done so many times before. His frown could not live long on his face as he raised his head to stare down at Alex.

Asleep, he looked so innocent, so damn young. He frowned again, resolving to never let anyone hurt this gentle creature. To never let anyone... not even the Gunmen do anything that might wound his tender feelings. "I'm going to take care of you, Angel," he whispered and received a sleepy sigh in reply. What had begun as Alex teasing and tempting him had birthed itself into a seduction of his heart as much as his body. He felt so tender now, staring down at Alex. If ever a man had been seduced, it had been him. 

Seduced by beauty that was nearly painful to look upon. Seduced by tender devotion and concern. Seduced by the ultimate gift of his body, given so wantonly, so unselfishly. He would spend the rest of the day finding ways to seduce Alex. 

Bring him gifts, stroke his skin. But, he remembered they were leaving today. He smiled. When they stopped for the night, as he and Walter had done, then he would make Alex feel special and wanted. He only hoped that Walter would understand. Whatever there was between he and Alex was too special to let anyone else interfere with it, even someone he loved as much as he still loved Walter.

What had the Gunmen said? A tense Krycek was a scary Krycek? "Alex Krycek," he tested the name quietly on his lips. There was nothing remotely scary about him. Perhaps he had simply been moody when Fox had been taken. That was probably it. But what had they said about his apartment and Alex's handiwork. There were a lot of things he didn't understand, but the man who had given himself so completely to him in the night had been like a fantasy. Sex with Walter was wonderful, but Alex had seemed so right in his arms. It was obvious that they had loved each other, maybe forever. How long had they been lovers? A year? Two? Months? He didn't want to wake Alex to find out, but his mind was working too eagerly to stay in bed. So he gingerly lifted off the warm body, smiling as a little frown painted itself over the pink lips. "Poor baby," he whispered and covered him with a blanket, before heading to the closet. He picked out a light, gray sweater, cashmere by the feel, but very thin. He grabbed a pair of jeans he hoped would fit him and slipped into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Alex was still sleeping when he emerged, hair still wet, Levi's that fitted buttoned up, pulling on the thin sweater. He got socks and several different shoes from the closet and tried them on to see which pair would fit. A pair of lace-up, black boots fit and he smiled, ready to face the day. The chill morning cut through the thin sweater and he shivered a bit, but refused to go back inside and risk waking Alex. He saw that the Range Rover was still gone, so Walter must still be in town. It hadn't been all that long of a drive and he wanted the exercise anyway. Maybe he could pick up something in town to bring back to Alex. Coffee and muffins perhaps. So thinking, he headed off up the dirt road wishing he had thought before to go into town, he could have found some different running gear and made the run. Regardless, he was anxious for the exercise.

* * *

Alex stretched, waking with a strange sensation. Alone, he was alone in a bed. Something he hadn't been in quite a while. He sat up quickly, completely awake in seconds. He didn't need to call out for Fox, he knew his lover was no longer in the cabin. He saw the steam still in the shower and his panic abated. Fox had taken a shower and left. Why? Why hadn't he woken him? Did he regret their making love? Had he gone to Skinner? 

These thoughts were with him as he took a quick, joyless shower. He dressed and hurried outside.

Two big men came out of the woods. "Are you all right?" one asked.

Alex stopped looking around for Fox and tilted his head. "What? Oh no, don't even tell me! Don't even tell me you are watching me for Garren!"

The men looked at each other, shrugged and nodded. "Yes, we are. It is more of an honor than even to hunt with him." It was obvious to the two, why wasn't it to the mate?

"Oh is that where he is, hunting?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm looking for someone, so you can just go off and fuck yourselves."

Two pairs of amber eyes grew confused. But the bigger of the two cleared his throat. "Are you looking for your pet?"

Alex frowned, utterly lost. "Uh, no."

"Because if you were, he just walked toward town... looked beautiful too," he added with a wide grin.

"Fox? You're talking about Fox?"

"Yes."

"He's not my pet, you fuck," Alex growled and turned to follow the path.

The two wolves shrugged and fell into step behind the mate.

Alex sighed, hearing them following. He stopped. "Do you have to follow me? I have to say, I am holding my temper, but just barely." He waited but heard no reply. When he looked behind him they were gone, but he knew the bastards would be in the trees, following discretely. He was going to have to do something about that, but for now he just wanted to catch up to his wandering lover. He froze. The wolf had said Fox looked beautiful. Would they try to take him? The idea of Fox being attacked made him pick up speed.

* * *

The air was even cooler in the shade of the trees but he was filled with happiness, filled with lovely thoughts of Alex. How sweetly he had given himself. He wanted to hurry back to him, but wanted to bring him something. 

He felt like a teenager. He wanted to bring Alex flowers, bring him a book of poetry. He grinned like an idiot, knowing he was being silly, but he knew how he had fallen in love with Alex before. Even now he loved him, without knowing anything about him, except he had the sweetest smile. He whistled a song he made up as he went and let his steady stride carry him toward town. 

The road widened, became paved and he quickened his stride. The town was close. He heard a chopping noise in the distance, one he recognized instantly, a helicopter. He stood, fascinated as it touched down on the road ahead of him. The stench of the machine was a surprise, it wasn't just the burning oil, but it was the unfamiliarity of it that made him wrinkle his nose. How long had it been since he'd smelled these types of fumes. Surely not long, but their reappearance in this fragrant wilderness was a shock. 

Soldiers piled out of the helicopter and for the first time he thought to be worried. They were running toward him and he began to back away. Two huge creatures sped out of the trees and in a flash of fangs and teeth they took out three of the soldiers so fast that the others were stunned for a moment. 

Fox dived to the ground as the soldiers still in the helicopter turned machine guns on the creatures, the hundreds of rounds ripping into the hairy bodies and knocking them back in a bloody heap.

He scrambled to his feet when the guns clattered to silence only to be met with two soldiers who grabbed him quickly.

"Don't fight, Agent Mulder, we're from your father. We won't hurt you. Don't fight," the soldier to his left hissed in his ear.

His father? His father, dying in his arms, the world shifting and moving surreally. The memories of that man, his father pounded into him... a strong hand on his face, 'Why did you let them take her? Are you such a weakling you won't even fight for your own blood?' He shook his head, dimly aware that the soldiers were shoving his sweater sleeve up his arm. The gun clattered again and another beast that came from the woods went down, even as the first began to struggle to rise.

"Jesus Christ, hurry up! They're dozens of them coming," a voice shouted from the helicopter.

A needle was shoved into his arm and he cried out. He hated needles.

"Don't fight, Agent Mulder. You are helping your father."

"My father is dead," he cried. Another needle. They were taking his blood. Why? Another needle, quick, sucking the blood out of him until he felt dizzy with it. The large reservoir flooded with dark liquid.

"Hurry the fuck up!" the soldier in the helicopter shouted.

He was released and the soldiers sprinted for the helicopter, lifting off just as dozens of monsters came bursting out of the trees. Fox's thoughts went to Alex. What would his angel do when he found Fox's body, bloody and torn? He looked around for escape and slowly began to back away from the furious beasts. So far they hadn't seemed to notice him, seemingly content to rip at the dead soldiers in their fury.

He felt sick as he saw the steam coming from the ripped out intestines. "Oh God," he whispered, turning to run back the way he came. He cursed himself as he stumbled, but he regained his footing and nearly died when he saw Alex running toward him. He sped toward him, determined to keep him from the beasts. There were two running behind Alex, but they made no move to overtake him.

"Fox!" Alex shouted. He grabbed at Fox and ignoring the beasts he looked over Fox, frantically. "Baby, are you okay? What happened?"

Fox stared at him as if he were mad, but the beasts had stopped ten yards behind Alex, just watching them. He looked behind him to see the wolves there fading into the trees. "I, they said they were from my father. They took... Alex there are werewolves everywhere."

Alex called to Skinner as Fox fell against him. Skinner was there immediately his face hard.

"What happened?" he asked as he made to take Fox from Alex. He had been sitting in the Mayor's home saying goodbye when he'd heard Alex's call for help. He didn't even wonder what the woman and her family thought as he had just abruptly disappeared.

Alex held tight to Fox and shook his head. "I heard a helicopter... then gunfire. Some men came to take Fox..."

"No, they didn't want to take me anywhere, they said they were from my father and they took blood from me."

Skinner's face went white with fury. "They what?"

"Soldiers in the helicopter, the wolves attacked them, but they told me that they didn't want to hurt me, they took blood, lot's of it," he said trying to stop leaning so heavily on Alex.

"Fox, listen to me," Skinner said firmly. "You need to call to me if you need me. I can get to your side and protect you."

"I... I wasn't thinking," Mulder admitted. "They said they were from my father, but he's dead."

Alex stiffened against him.

Fox looked into Alex's eyes. "Are you all right, Alex?"

"He will be when you stop scaring him to death," Walter growled. What had it taken to get his assassin to actually call for help? How much had it cost the proud man? He wanted to shake Fox. "What were you doing alone anyway?" His voice was harsh and Fox frowned at him.

"Leave him alone, Skinner, he's just had a pretty fucked up experience," Alex spat out.

Skinner looked to the wolves who still dared to stand close and he sent out his displeasure watching them flee into the forest with a frown.

"We're leaving. Is there anything you two want at the cabin?"

"The medallions," Alex answered quickly.

"Fine," Walter sighed and gathered them close. In a moment they were back at the cabins, this time in Antonio's cabin. He was staring at them calmly when they appeared and Alex assumed that there was some strange communication between the two ascendants.

"So we are leaving now," Antonio mused.

"Yes, collect whatever you want. The Gunmen and Maggie are ready to go," Skinner informed his brother.

Scully had a bag slung over her shoulder but she took one look at Mulder and dropped it. "Mulder, what happened?"

Fox turned to Alex, "Alex, would you get whatever you think, I'd want?" Alex nodded and with one last caress of Fox's face he left.

Fox pulled Scully off to the side, "Scully, I... did Alex kill my father?"

She looked surprised.

"I have this memory, and in it my father is dead... I think that Alex killed him, only that must be crazy because Alex wouldn't do anything like that."

He sounded desperate and Scully measured her words. "You spent a lot of years thinking that he did kill him, Mulder," she said gently. He looked like he was going to be sick. "But, you didn't believe that anymore. You told me so yourself."

He looked into her eyes, hope burning there again. "I did?"

"Yes, and I didn't believe it at first, but you did. You were quite convinced that he hadn't done anything to your father."

He pulled her to him in a quick hug. "God! Thank you, Scully... do I call you Scully or Dana... somehow Scully seems more normal."

"You do not, call me Dana, at least very rarely." She grinned suddenly, "Of course you used to foam at the mouth if anyone called you Fox, but you rather seemed to like Alex calling you that." His expression grew serious, "Now, tell me what happened. Why do you look so pale?"

"I had some blood stolen from me," he grinned. Now in the aftermath it seemed a bit ridiculous. Ridiculous and horrible at the same time. "Yep, some Black Ops type swung in from the sky in a black helicopter that wasn't powered by any magic, by the way, ran at me, got attacked by werewolves, and there was a lot of shooting. Meanwhile some soldiers are grabbing me, telling me they are from my father and they jab me with needles and take a bunch of blood."

She shook her head and sighed, but wasn't phased. "So, what you're saying is that you had a typical day at the office?"

He threw his head back and laughed. How did he know she would say something like that? Just having her near him, so exasperated, made him feel better, grounded. As if everything would really work out.

"God, Mulder, you need your own 'phobia' named after you."

"Phobia?"

"Yes, disasteraphobia. Murphy's law-aphobia. Something," she sighed.

"Here, let me disinfect these puncture wounds. Knowing you, they probably didn't bother to use antiseptic."

"Well, they were a bit rushed," Mulder admitted.

She raised a brow and said nothing, somehow saying a lot.

"What I want to know, is how they powered the machine," Antonio drawled, his accent a delight to Mulder's ears. "There were no other ascendants in the area."

Skinner narrowed his eyes. "That is an excellent question. One that I intend to find the answer to."

"And why did the wolves attack to protect sweet Fox, here?" Antonio added.

Skinner frowned. He didn't want to admit it, but he was glad that they had. Had the men been sent to take Fox, he would have not known, without Alex's call to him he had simply been uneasy, not aware of what was happening. It illuminated the extent of his ability to protect his family. Unless they called to him, he would not always be able to protect them. But the wolves were there, and from the corpses of the wolves that the machine guns had taken down, they were apparently willing to die to protect even Fox. He could understand the wolves protecting Alex, if Garren thought Alex belonged to him, but why Fox? He would get the answers from Garren, for he felt he would be seeing the man soon.

When Alex returned from the cabin that had been their home for the past several weeks, Skinner gathered up his family and went to the side for the Gunmen. Antonio did the same with Dana. They would begin their journey to San Francisco and there they would stay and build a new life.

* * *

****

Outstanding Skinner AU   
Honorable mention   


02/01/00  
RATING: Very NC-17  
SPOILERS: Probably, but do you care?  
SUMMARY: Alternate Universe After the events of The Changing, the world is ruled by magic and Mulder has to learn to find a role for himself in the new paradigm.  
WARNING: Sexual Assault, Angst, explicit sex (consensual and non-consensual) between hot men, magic, and B&D. If that isn't your thing or you are below the age of consent. DO NOT READ!!!!!!!!!! My Krycek has two arms and he's going to keep them thank you.  
DISCLAIMER: They aren't mine. They belong to CC and 1013 Productions. I don't make any money... wouldn't take it if I could, just borrowing, you can have them back.  
FEEDBACK: [email removed]  
Website if applicable: [ http://www.slashingmulder.com/Author_N.htm](http://www.slashingmulder.com/Author_N.htm)  
DEDICATED TO: Megaera for beta and for reminding me that the supernatural exists beyond the written word, (but mostly near her home) And to JoB (who gives great beta and has an arsenal of ideas). Thanks to Cerulean_Blue,  
Amothea, and Michael for their support, beta and _delicious* ideas... keep 'em coming love._  
---


	7. Allies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Universe After the events of The Changing, the world is ruled by magic and Mulder has to learn to find a role for himself in the new paradigm.

  
**Chapter Seven  
Allies**

**Salmon Falls, CA  
West of Santa Rosa   
Day Nineteen   
Hour 1300**

"So, what are you looking at, Krycek?" Frohike asked as he approached the younger man. The group had left Fort Bragg two days previous, not in a convoy of cars, but in the same helicopter that they had arrived in. The change had been last minute as everyone but Krycek had protested the use of cars. Skinner had pulled Krycek aside and the conference between the two had ended with Skinner announcing that they would stop for at least one night before reaching San Francisco. His face had brooked no disagreement, though no one had understood why there was a need to stop at all. Antonio had simply sighed, taken a car to collect the helicopter and returned with it. They had stopped for the second night not too long ago.

Langly was a bit miffed that he had been unable to gather his belongings, but Byers had simply pointed out that he could easily acquire replacements.

Now after Antonio had gone again for gear and a second, makeshift camp had been set up, Frohike found Krycek sitting on a large rock, away from camp, staring north, from where they'd come. He repeated his question.

Krycek gave him an inscrutable look and raised a brow. "Nothing," he said quietly in response.

Frohike shrugged. "Okay. I just thought you'd want to know that Mulder is looking for you." He ran a hand over the top of his head, moving back a bit as Krycek hopped off the rock immediately.

"Why are we stopping anyway, Krycek?" he asked.

"Because I wanted to have a few nights with Mulder before we set up house in San Francisco." To Alex's own ears the reason sounded silly, he could spend time alone with Mulder anywhere. However, it had been what he demanded of Skinner and though things were going wonderfully with Mulder, he didn't want to admit that his demand was unnecessary.

"Oh... okay. Well, he's looking for you. I told him I'd find you for him... as I thought I would be the best to do it." At Alex's questioning look Frohike shrugged. "Just thought about where I would go if I wanted some down time, and voila."

Krycek slapped Frohike on the shoulder and grinned. "God job, Frohike."

Frohike beamed and puffed up, about to launch into a more detailed analysis of his search for Alex, but Alex just walked away, the little man trailing behind him.

"So I was thinking I could use a little brush-up on my aim. I know I miss some of what I shoot at..."

"Thank God," Alex muttered.

"Yes, well, I didn't mean to shoot at you!" Frohike assured him. "But, with a few hours of honing my craft, I think I could really be a gunman."

"You want me to teach you how to shoot?" Alex's face showed his shock.

"Well, sure. We're compadres aren't we? Aren't we?"

Alex frowned a bit then nodded. "Yeah, I guess we are. Look, when we get settled down... wherever the hell Skinner lets us, then we work on your aim."

Frohike grinned. "And maybe some chop chop killer moves, too?"

Krycek leveled a stare on the little man, "Don't push it, Frohike."

Frohike grinned, knowing that Krycek wasn't really irritated.

When they approached the camp Skinner grinned at Krycek coming over and running a hand through Krycek's hair. "There you are, Alex. Fox has been looking for you. Where were you?" Skinner stroked Alex's face, his big fingers tracing the high cheekbones gently.

Alex shrugged, not entirely uncomfortable with the big hand on his face. "Just thinking," he mumbled. "Where is he?"

Skinner sighed. He wanted to kiss Alex's pink lips, but the man was stubborn. He could force the issue, easily, but after how quickly Fox had fallen into Alex's arms he knew he didn't have long to wait. "He went to the river." He pointed in the direction of the small river that they had camped near.

Krycek turned to leave but he stopped for a moment and without looking back at Skinner he said in a gruff voice, "Thank you."

Before Skinner could react to that, Krycek was gone. He smiled and shook his head. His assassin was surely an interesting mix of fury and softness. The grudging thank you was not for telling him where Mulder had wandered, Skinner knew, but for bowing to Alex's demands of more time alone with him. Though it was a little thing, Skinner wondered how long he could go without tasting one or both of them again. He too was changed and he needed sex nearly as much as the sweet fruit he had collected.

* * *

Alex found Mulder sitting on the bank of the little river, tossing rocks in and wearing one of his vacant looks, chewing on his lower lip.

"Hey you," he breathed as he slid down beside Fox.

Fox jumped a bit and smiled. "You shouldn't sneak up on me like that. You sure are quiet."

Alex kissed the side of Mulder's mouth, tonguing the tiny crack where the lush bottom lip met the bowed upper lip. "Yeah, I know, you told me once that you wanted to put a bell on me."

Mulder grinned, "I did?"

"Mmm hmmm, but I said I liked startling you."

Mulder ran a hand over Alex's thigh, reveling in the hard muscle. "I bet you did. You are a bad boy, I think."

Krycek chuckled and scraped his teeth on Mulder's jaw. "Very bad."

Mulder shook his head, amused. "I..."

"Shut up and kiss me," Krycek purred and was pleasantly surprised when Mulder turned quickly and opened his mouth over his own.

They kissed slowly at first, their lips barely touching, their tongues mating between their lips, exposed and hungry. Mulder grabbed the back of Krycek's head and pulled him in tight, devouring him with sudden intensity. They both moaned as the kiss caught fire and Mulder pushed Krycek down into the soft dirt.

He pulled away enough to stare down at Alex's beautiful face. "God, Alex, I could stare at you forever."

"I hope you don't," Alex grinned. "There are a few things I'd rather you be interested in."

Mulder kissed the tip of Alex's nose. "Oh, believe me, I am interested in every bit of you." He emphasized his point by stroking one hand down Alex's belly to the juncture of his thighs. He rubbed the heel of his palm over the bulge trapped by denim. He nipped at Alex's chin. "I can't even think about what I was going to ask you, all I want is to take your clothes off and make you scream." He rubbed his hips into Alex's, showing his gentle lover exactly what he wanted to do to him with every rolling thrust of his body.

Alex had the same idea, he couldn't think of anything he'd rather do then make Fox scream.

"I want to be inside you, Alex... my sweet angel. God you're so beautiful," Fox moaned, nipping at Alex's lips. He stared into Alex's eyes, thrilling to the heat there. Some dangerous sparkle glittered in those black lashed orbs that seemed so out of place for his angel. "So very beautiful."

Alex had other plans. When Fox bent again to capture his lips he shifted above him and with a small grin at Fox's surprised look, he rolled Fox under him and captured his full lips hungrily. He pressed one thigh between Fox's and spread his long legs with one sure movement.

"I am going to make _you_ scream, Fox," he growled.

Fox was gasping, more than a little surprised at the quickness with which Alex had reversed their positions. And that the young man would take a dominant position. He grinned, "Is my little angel getting frisky?" he teased.

"I'll show you how angelic I can be, baby," Alex promised, his voice a dark purr. "When I'm so deep inside you, you can't even breathe then tell me how angelic I am." He pushed up at Fox's shirt, growing impatient and ripping at the fabric. When Fox's chest was revealed he sat back in shock, staring at the pierced nipples with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"What? What is it?" Fox complained. He raised a hand to Alex's face and found his hand grabbed and held tight.

"When the fuck did you get your nipples pierced?" He was desperately trying to resist dragging Fox up and shaking him. He had the image of Skinner and Fox, alone on one of the stolen nights and Skinner marking Fox as his.

Fox stared up at his suddenly fanged angel in utter surprise. Alex looked almost like he wanted to kill someone. His eyes were narrowed and burning, his lips a thin line, compressed tightly. There was a muscle flexing beneath the skin of his jaw and his grip was tightening on Fox's wrist.

"Hey, guys..." Frohike started before stopping abruptly at the obviously intimate moment. "Oh, sorry."

"Get out of here, right now," Alex hissed.

"Hey, you don't have to talk to him like that," Fox snapped pulling his wrist free.

Alex glared at him. "Fox!"

Frohike narrowed his eyes, realizing suddenly that there was a problem. He hated to go against Krycek. Of course most of that was simple fear of the man, but also because they were becoming so tight. But, Mulder was one of his own. "Mulder? Are you all right?"

Krycek threw Frohike a deadly glare and the little man trembled.

"Get out of here right now, Frohike," Alex repeated, his voice falling to a whisper.

Frohike held his ground, swallowing audibly. "I can't do that, Krycek. No... not if Mulder... not if Mulder needs me."

Mulder shook his head. "It's okay, Frohike. I think this is something I can handle on my own."

"You don't remember..." Frohike began.

"You are pushing it, Frohike," Alex whispered.

"Go on, Frohike," Mulder said calmly. He watched as the little man gave Alex one last look, a threatening look, before he turned and left, slowly.

Fox gave Alex a confused look and reached once more to touch Alex's face, but Alex moved his face out of the way with an angry sound.

"Skinner said you'd hate them, Alex, but you're acting like a child," Fox said with a bit of irritation. He tried to sit up but Alex pushed him down, both hands on his shoulders.

"So you two talked about what I'd think? And you still thought it would be fun to do it?" He stood up abruptly. "You know, he has some fucking nerve to tell me I can't even let Garren touch me." He ran a hand through his hair, wanting to hit something and unable to hit Fox.

Fox sat up with narrowed eyes. "That's bothering you isn't it? Not being with Garren."

Alex missed the dangerous note in Fox's voice and he sneered. "He wants the best of everything. He wants to own you completely and keep good old Alex at his beck and call... with the promise of a little Fox ass to keep him happy."

Mulder flushed angrily and stood. "And what do you want?" He knew without Alex saying a word that Alex wanted Garren. "You're more pissed about not being able to be with Garren than anything else aren't you, Krycek?"

Krycek gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "You don't want to push me right now, Fox. I know you didn't remember me when you had your little bonding ceremony with Skinner..."

"I asked you a question, Krycek. It bothers you that you can't be with Garren. You told me yourself that he doesn't have to _take_ anything from you anymore. Because you want him."

"Stop fucking changing the subject, Fox. Yeah, I fucking want him. Okay? Happy? How does it feel? How does it fucking feel? You want Skinner so fucking badly... well I want Garren." He flushed at the words... knowing them to be true, but knew he had said them more to hurt Fox than anything else. Knowing that Fox couldn't help not remembering him didn't stop it from hurting Alex. He remembered little things about everyone else. Just nothing about the man he _supposedly_ loved.

Fox stared at Alex for a few seconds before he responded. "How does it feel? It hurts. But then I suppose that was the point."

Alex flushed a bit, "I'm... I don't want to hurt you, Fox," he paused, knowing that he had for a moment wanted Fox to hurt just a little. "But I'm standing here in front of you, the man I _love_ and you're wearing marks from a man who takes what he wants... makes us both play the whore so we can be safe... maybe. You stand there not remembering me at all, but you smile at Skinner like you want to eat him alive. You're hurt that I want Garren? You're hurt that I might be wondering where he is, if he will come back to me? I don't want you to hurt, Fox. But can't you see that I'm hurting, too?"

Fox lowered his eyes and walked a few feet from Alex, staring at the cool, dark soil by the bank of the river. He didn't understand why it hurt so badly to hear that Alex wanted Garren, but it did. It felt like his heart had been torn from his chest and callously stomped.

Alex wanted to follow him, but dammit, he had been a wimp for so long. Loving Fox so much was making him crazy. He felt like he was drowning. For so long he had relied on himself and himself alone, caring about no one. Then Fox Mulder had come along and suddenly he was letting himself get hit around and bowled over. He'd even begun to want to help Mulder in his quest. And then... then they had made love and he'd lost himself entirely. How could he even look at Skinner without killing him... or at least trying to, knowing that he'd dared to do something so personal to Fox. Knowing that Skinner was staking a claim when Fox was out of his mind. He shouldn't have taken it out on Fox, but it was true, Fox did want Skinner. And Alex was anything but happy about that. He threw off the niggling guilt that informed him that he had been as willing as could be to be with Skinner himself.

Fox turned finally. "Skinner told you not to be with Garren?"

Alex frowned. Not understanding why Fox would ask him that. Not liking the way his lover's voice had no emotion in it. "Yes, but, Fox, baby, that isn't important. What is, is that he feels free to command me... us. That he would take advantage of you when you didn't even know you weren't his."

"And whose am I? Yours?"

Alex did go to Fox then, his anger dying at the sorrow there on Fox's beautiful face. "Yes, oh God, baby, I know I have a crazy temper when you're concerned. I know it wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have taken it..."

"I'll talk to him," Fox said quietly, moving his face away from Alex's hand.

"What? What do you mean?" Alex followed Fox's face with his hand, touching the cool skin over his jaw.

"To Skinner about Garren," Fox said in an emotionless voice.

"No, Fox. Please, that's not what this is about. Shit." Alex wanted to kick himself for the distance between he and Fox, a distance not there just moments ago.

"Skinner didn't do this, you know. I don't know why you thought he did, but he didn't. It was another gift from Mikhail." He stared in to Alex's suddenly wide eyes. "A nice way of reminding me of the pleasure of being his, I suppose."

"Fox, I..."

"Don't. I know you are hurting. I wish I could remember everything. But you're wrong. When you say that I remember nothing about you. You think I don't know what's in my heart? You don't think that I know how special the feeling I have with you is? You're right though, in that I remember little things about everyone else and not you. But when I slept in your arms, I felt like I was home." He looked away from Alex. "Walter didn't tell me that you were unhappy. I'm sorry that you are." His voice was a whisper, hurt and confused.

Alex pulled Fox into his arms. "No, I'm not unhappy. I love you. I'm happy with you. Just being with you, Fox. I'm sorry that I lost it. Try to understand that it is hard... this whole thing. Baby, we weren't even together long before all this." He kissed Fox's hair, but Fox still stood unmoving in his arms. Alex closed his eyes trying to will Fox to know how much he was loved.

Fox tried to relax in Alex's embrace, but the words he'd spoken, words of love and outrage paled compared to the words of wanting Garren. "So we're _with_ Walter for protection? Not love," he choked out.

Alex kissed Fox's cheek. "He loves you," he ground out.

"And you." Fox wasn't asking, he knew Skinner did love Alex. Maybe he was using them, but Fox couldn't envision Walter, the gentle lover he loved, being like Mikhail... using them, both of them.

"Yes, maybe he does. But, that doesn't change the fact that he would keep us apart if we didn't let him in. So we made that decision... together."

"So what do you get from Garren?"

Alex stiffened. He felt the trap spring. A trap Fox had laid with soft words. "Nothing. I get nothing from him."

Fox pulled away from him. "But you want him."

Alex shook his head, wishing he could take back the words, spoken in anger. Regardless of their veracity. He'd sought and received the look of hurt on Fox's face. A momentary victory that had tasted sour on his tongue the moment he had uttered the words. "I _love_ you. Only you."

"I don't know what to believe anymore, Alex." Fox crossed his hands over his chest, utterly ashamed of the rings on his nipples. Sickened by what he was hearing. Skinner. Using them both. He shook his head. "I can't... I can't talk about this anymore. I just want to be alone.

Alex took a deep breath. "I do love you, Fox. I'd give anything... do anything to have had none of this happen." He tried to take Fox in his arms again, but Fox moved away. His hands fell back to his sides, useless.

"Maybe we can talk later," Fox whispered.

"Maybe?" Alex was shaking. Everything was falling apart and he was powerless to stop it.

Fox saw the look of despair on Alex's young face. The green eyes, such pools of living jade, wide with fear. "We'll talk later, Alex. I just want to be alone right now to think."

"It isn't safe to be alone, Fox. Not with the night coming. Please, just come back to the camp with me. I won't say anything... won't do anything until you want to talk. But, please come back. I can't bear it if you were to be taken again. Please."

Fox nodded. "All right."

Alex sighed a bit. He bent to pick up Fox's ruined shirt. If he had just asked Fox... he wouldn't even think of it. He had made so many mistakes with Fox. So many missteps taken. He had never been so clumsy with any aspect of his life before. He'd have been dead long ago if he had. Vulnerability. It was too new for him. Every thing that Fox thought or felt was important to him. Too important. He'd never been in love before. Didn't know how to handle it. He just wanted to be with Fox. Why then did he do everything wrong? How could he have told Fox, so bluntly, so cruelly, how much he wanted Garren?

Fox didn't look at anyone when they arrived back at the camp. The Gunmen were huddled together speaking in hushed, quick tones. They stopped abruptly when they saw him. They avoided looking at Alex after their first accusing looks.

Skinner met the two with a concerned frown. "What is it?"

Mulder shook his head and evaded the questing hand that caressed his face. He saw that there were tents set up. He didn't even wonder at where they had come from. With ascendants around, he supposed anything was possible. The previous night Skinner had set up camp so swiftly the others, excluding Antonio, had all shied away from the big man for hours after. It had been disconcerting to see objects appear out of thin air, while a ruby glow emitted from Skinner's eyes. "Is there a tent I can use. I want to... rest."

Skinner pointed to a large tent just beyond the western edge of the campsite. "You can rest in there. Fox, are you all right?" He saw the tension in Fox's face, the tension in Alex's.

"I'm fine." Fox looked into Skinner's face and saw nothing but love and concern there in the hard planes. Alex had to be wrong. Skinner... Walter would never hurt them. He hurried to the tent. He could feel Alex move to follow, but he knew the young man wouldn't come far with him. He opened the tent, the sound of the zipper as he sealed himself in, bringing a flash of memory.

//Darkness lit by a small gas lamp. A small, dark girl sitting on a sleeping bag, her face entranced, her eyes a bit scared, as he told a scary story. It was his voice, he knew. Young, very young. 'Don't tell me the end, Fox. I don't want to know... tell me the police caught the loony.' He felt a smile curve his lips as he leaned closer, his shadow large on her small frame. 'No, he was never found,' he whispered and laughed as she launched herself into his arms. 'You big baby,' he scolded, tugging on her hair, but not making her get off his lap. 'We're only in the backyard.'//

That memory warmed him. Memories of home and family. He saw a man's face, a strong, stern face. His father when he was young. His mother straightening his tie, pushing a lock of hair out of his face, before nodding in maternal satisfaction. Ships sailing by on the Vineyard Sound.//

He lay down on one of the two thick sleeping bags that had been laid out and tried to remember everything. He closed his eyes, trying to capture his past and soon he found himself drifting off into sleep.

* * *

**Washington D.C.  
Penthouse   
Day Nineteen   
Hour 1530**

Murdoch finished instructing the shades, watching as the dark shadows inched over the floor and leaked out the window. He tracked their darkness as they wafted, smoke like into the sky. They would go across the Atlantic and instruct his loyal brothers there. What of the witches? They had gone to his bidding, make his sweet Foxling lust for him, but they had disappeared into the night and he'd heard nothing of them since. He could feel no trace of them, the ungrateful hags.

He turned to look at the changed male in the sling. Beautiful. It was true that many of the changed humans were not as lovely as some of their fully human companions, but they were so delicious despite any physical flaws. Their appeal was physiological, instinctual. Whatever they looked like they were utterly desirable. The more changed the more valuable. And their offspring would be just as compelling. With careful breeding using the more beautiful changed humans, their posterity would be stunning. The male in the sling was one of the most used in breeding despite the fact that there were many other more changed than he. Tall, muscular and strong. The face was almost too pretty, full lips, wide, blue eyes, high cheekbones, eyebrows darker than the brown-gold hair. Murdoch traced a finger over the beauty's spine and removed the large dildo he had been pleasing the toy with. He smelled so sweet, was so afraid.

"You want to go back to the pens, little love? You've been such a good boy. Such a tight, little baby."

The blue eyes, dark with the pain Murdoch had inflicted turned to him with a pleading expression.

"Careful, little love, your looks of pain will only make me want to play some more." Murdoch chuckled as the young man blanched and closed his eyes. "Perhaps the lovely Shane will sooth your hurts for you." Murdoch smiled darkly as the pretty jerked at the name. Shane Deston, a pure blood, had a definite penchant for Murdoch's little breeder. He wasn't above sharing things with his pure bloods. They had been loyal, after-all. The only rule that had to be adhered to was that no changed human could be seriously injured. Used thoroughly, without doubt, but not harmed.

When his Foxling was back at his side he knew there would have to be breeding sessions, but he wasn't very excited about sharing him. Of course the children Fox would sire would be invaluable. Utterly. Beautiful as well as changed. He thought of the little cat then. Both males were exquisite and though not as changed as his Foxling, the cat had few peers among the changed. He turned and gestured to his human guards. "Take him to Deston." The guards quickly complied, their hands running over the trembling frame, more than necessary, but Murdoch was tolerant. Humans couldn't help their attraction to the changed ones. As long as they didn't indulge in more than that, he would tolerate it. As the young one, what was his name? Brian? Yes, Brian. As Brian was taken away Murdoch sensed something. He smiled slowly and made his way to a comfortable chair, letting the silk fabric of his robe fall open as he sat, legs spread, lubricant from the pretty Brian still slicking his cock. He closed his eyes and went inward, to the dark place and sought out his sleeping love.

* * *

**Salmon Falls, CA  
West of Santa Rosa   
Day Nineteen   
Hour 1330**

Alex had settled on the ground, leaning back against a tree. His long legs were bent before him and he rested his hands on his knees, staring at the tent that Fox had disappeared into. Skinner approached him, stood over him for a moment before sitting next to him.

"Want to tell me what happened?"

Alex looked at his hands, intent on the study of his fingers.

"Alex? What happened? Why are you upset?"

"I'm not the one you should worry about. I hurt Fox. He's the one who..."

"Alex, you are the one I am worried about right now. You wouldn't hurt him... not unless you were provoked. I know that much about you."

"Provoked?" He laughed, but it was a mirthless sound. "Yeah, he provoked me all right. He had his nipples pierced by some monster and I of course assumed the worst."

"You thought I had done it," Walter said quietly.

Alex looked back at the tent. "Yes."

"And you were angry."

"Stop talking like a priest or a psychologist. Yeah, I was angry. I'm angry that I have no control over my own life. I'm angry that the only way you'll protect Fox and I is if we let you fuck us. I'm angry that I hurt the only person I love, because I want something I shouldn't." He looked at Skinner. "Don't look at me with such concern, if you were concerned then you wouldn't make us whore ourselves for you."

Skinner, the part of him who sat for years behind a desk and tried to do the best he could for his agents and the law, recoiled from the truth in Alex's words. He should just protect them, let them live out a happy existence just the two of them, admiring from afar, respectful of a love he had envied. But, the stronger part of him, one that still wanted to do good despite his need to dominate, knew that Alex and Fox were his. That they would always be his.

"What is it that you want that you shouldn't?" He ignored Alex's little glare and waited to be answered.

"Garren," Alex hissed.

Skinner stiffened and he stood. "That is not an option, Alex. You are right to say you shouldn't want him."

"I don't care if you like it or not, Skinner. I care because it hurts Fox."

Skinner had to turn and walk away. If he hadn't he might have been tempted to punish Alex, as he had envisioned before. He wanted Alex to come to him on his own, but he wouldn't be patient much longer. Alex had been so sweet in his arms, the give of his body, the strength tamed. Skinner knew that Alex would fight the hook with everything in him, denying that he belonged to anyone. The fight made the ultimate reward so great. Garren was another matter. Why had Alex told Fox that he wanted Garren? He frowned darkly as Antonio seemed to be about to speak to him. Antonio turned from him with a disgruntled sigh. Alex must really be confused by the wolf. When Garren reappeared, and he would Skinner knew, he would have to tell the wolf that he could not play with Alex any longer. He would kill the wolf if he refused to leave, he resolved.

Alex watched him leave and almost got up to stop him. Though what he had said was true, he found it harder and harder to look upon Skinner with anger. He wondered if it was the change that made him flush with the thought of lying with Skinner... even when he was worried about Fox and conflicted about Garren.

* * *

Mulder was cold. The dark was alive; he could feel it breathing around him. He stood in the living dark, shivering and confused. Wet, slick floor beneath him, moving as if in breath. The cold was all around him and he wondered if he were dreaming. If this was his mind, utterly blank. A light in the darkness drew him forward. There was a warmth coming from the light and he found himself running toward it. The darkness shifted around him, things moving behind him. He thought for a moment that the light would keep receding in front of him like in bad dreams, but he could see that it was a doorway, and he ran faster. He stopped as soon as he gained the door. His instincts warring with his fear of the blackness behind him and the warm room before him.

There was a man sitting in a large chair at the center of the room.

The man in the chair smiled at him, a smile that held no warmth at all. The cold at his back held more warmth than that smile and he made to move backward into the living darkness, but his back hit a solid object. He turned with a gasp, thinking to find that which had pursued him, but found only a wall where the doorway had been, a cold wall.

"Poor, lost Fox. Can't you at least say hello?"

Mulder turned toward the voice. It was deep and mocking. He faced the man, gritting his jaw as he saw the man's splayed thighs and nudity under the black robe. Those eyes, as black as the darkness he'd left, stared at him intently, hungrily. "Who are you? Where am I?" He was surprised a bit to find that his voice was so sure. So firm.

"Why, you're home. With me. For a while. I can give you back your memories you know. Come here, come close to me and we shall see what you have forgotten."

Mulder couldn't resist that promise. To remember everything? To be whole again? He moved forward until he had crossed the room, noting the fading light coming from large windows and strangely familiar buildings beyond the glass.

"Oh, Foxling, how I've missed you. So lovely, so perfect."

Mulder stared into the black eyes and let himself be drawn down onto the man's lap, trying to ignore the large organ brushing his thigh. "I asked who you were?"

"Ah, yes. So you did, lovely one. I am your master, your only lover. Murdoch." The words were spoken softly, as if in a caress.

The name made him stiffen and he shook his head. "No," he shook his head again. "I don't... I don't know that name." But it was a lie. He knew the name. He felt Murdoch's lips on his throat, the hot rasp of his tongue on the tender flesh. But his mind had turned inward. He saw himself on the sling, the crowd around him ignoring his pleas for help. He felt the strike of leather on his flesh, the firm slapping on his anus, and he screamed silently as he was raped.

"You do remember me, Foxling, don't you?" Murdoch whispered, his hand going up to the pierced nipples and tugging hard on the little rings, groaning in lust as Fox gasped with pain.

There was a bath, Mulder could see it, could see himself on Murdoch's lap, and he recoiled from the lust on his own face as he rode the big man. The water churned about them as he came. But it was the words he whispered that made him shake. "I love you, Alex." The image shattered like a mirror, little bits and pieces of the image flying outward. He knew. He remembered what he felt. Worry that Alex had been hurt... in the apartment when the men had come and attacked.

Alex.

Alex in white boxers cooking and laughing, then killing with ruthless efficiency. More memories. Alex looking so young, not so young as now, but in a terrible suit. Alex in leather, looking like a wet dream. Him hitting Alex, pulling at his hair, all the while wanting to kiss those pink, moist lips. A flood of memories and he cried out as they assaulted him.

* * *

Alex leaped to his feet at Fox's cry. He was in the tent and beside his restless lover before another breath had been taken. Another nightmare? Fox was writhing on the sleeping bag, his mouth open and wet. Hazel eyes stared up at him, but Alex knew Fox wasn't seeing him. The look in those eyes made Alex bend to kiss the sweep of lash. Fox looked terrified. He soothed Fox's brow, "Baby, you're okay. It's just a dream."

* * *

Murdoch frowned at the nature of Fox's memories and he pulled roughly on one of the nipple rings, forcing Fox's attention back to him. Fox's eyes grew wider still as he understood where he was despite not knowing how he was there. "Yes, prince, you remember me. Did you think I would allow you to forget? That I would allow some callow hunter to strip you of that memory? Of whom you belong to?" With that Murdoch tore at Fox's jeans. "I will take you again, here in dreams, so that you might not forget how I can make you scream."

Fox struggled, his mind trying to grasp, to solidify all the memories fighting for dominance. He fought to keep those hands off him, but his movements were sluggish. He could hear Alex. Alex telling him everything was okay, but it wasn't. He couldn't stop Murdoch. Alex's touch on his face, but when his frantic eyes looked around the room he could see no sign of his lover.

Murdoch growled as he sensed the little cat near. Trying to take Foxling back. He bit at Fox's nipple in frustrated fury and tore the ring out, his cock incredibly hard as Fox screamed in pain.

* * *

Alex paled as Fox screamed, his eyes not understanding what he was seeing. Blood was trickling down Fox's chest and the ring... the ring had vanished. "Fox, godammit wake up," he shouted, frantic now to rouse him, as Fox grew rigid and started to shake.

Skinner entered the tent and Alex looked to him in a panic. "What's happening to him?" Fox screamed again and Skinner was there to see the other ring disappear. "Fuck! Jesus! Walter, wake him the hell up!" Alex growled in frustrated fury as the edges of Fox's jeans were pulled away from Fox's twisting body, the buttons ripping open to expose the curled, brown hair of Mulder's pubis.

* * *

"You won't ever hide from me, Foxling. My own Prince," Murdoch hissed trying to take Mulder's jeans completely off. But, Fox resisted more and more; the voices so near were taking him away from Murdoch. The blood on Fox's pretty chest at once excited Murdoch and repelled him. His fury had made him do it. Fox had made him furious. It was Foxling's fault he bled. The wounds would heal. The memory of defiance and its consequences would not. He cupped Mulder's scrotum and squeezed hard, thrilling to the pleading whimper his loving touch elicited.

The voice of the human ascendant joined Alex's and Foxling blinked away from his dream. Leaving Murdoch to open his eyes alone in the growing darkness of his rooms far above his city.

* * *

Mulder fell back into himself, or so it seemed to him. There was that moment of dislocation and then he was sitting wrapped in Alex's arms and staring up into Walter's concerned face. The red glow was there again in Walter's eyes, and he found himself leaning toward him, before relaxing back into Alex's sure embrace. He felt Alex trembling and it took him a moment to realize that Alex was absorbing the tremors stemming from him. He tried to quell the shaking of his body while Alex kept up a soft litany of "Baby, baby, shhh, baby, baby shhh, baby..." The words had a talismanic quality to them and Fox leaned deeper into the beloved embrace his trembling easing bit by little bit.

Skinner caressed Mulder's jaw and Fox tilted his face into the strong hand, rubbing his cheek into Walter's steady caress. "Fox? Fox, what happened?" He traced one strong finger in the blood that trickled down Fox's chest, staring at the torn nipples with narrowed eyes.

"M-Murdoch," Fox whispered, shuddering anew. "Oh God, somehow I was with Murdoch." He wanted to tell them that it had happened once before, but the memories of his entire life were crowding in, making him feel dizzy, unanchored from the steady earth and he swayed in his sitting position, leaning further into Alex.

Scully rushed in, her eyes narrowed. "What happened, Mulder?" she rasped, looking from one possible villain to the next. To Alex she appeared as friendly as a rusted fishhook as her eyes took in her battered partner. "Why is he bleeding?" she demanded as she made her way to Mulder's side.

"Scully, I just realized that I dream very vividly," Mulder quipped, visibly trying to compose himself in his partner's presence. Tears that had been threatening to escape gold-tipped lashes were banished as the shivers were stilled resolutely. He still leaned deep into Alex's strong embrace not yet confident enough to leave that cocoon of security.

Alex was staring at the finger-shaped bruise coming out on the tender skin of Fox's hips. The bruises parallel to the v-shaped muscles that framed Mulder's pubis. He slid his hand around to cover Fox's near nudity from Scully's gaze and his eyes met Skinner's, both men's faces grim and shocked.

Scully pushed at Alex's arm, "Krycek, I need to look at this," she hissed when Alex refused to move his arm.

"Let her look, Alex," Skinner commanded.

When Alex obeyed reluctantly, no one took notice of it. He stayed close to Mulder's back and watched as Scully bent to inspect Mulder's chest.

Scully clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "What happened?"

"Murdoch... somehow was able to reach Mulder in his sleep. I would have thought it was a dream if I hadn't seen it for myself. The rings in Mulder's nipples, just disappeared, like they were torn out," Skinner explained shakily. The thought of Murdoch being able to access Fox so easily, so physically, made him nauseous. How powerful was he? What were his limitations? If he could get inside Mulder's mind, what was stopping him from making Mulder call to him? Once called, he could simply steal Fox away.

"He didn't rip them, he bit them off," Mulder supplied with a voice that attempted to sound flippant, but sounded young and scared instead.

"He fucking _bit_ you?" Alex spat out. "That bastard! He _bit_ them off?"

"He likes to bite," Mulder reminded him. The wounds had faded from his first encounter with Murdoch, but the memory of being trapped on Murdoch's plane, sitting on his lap while Murdoch's hands and mouth devoured him, made Fox shudder once more. He could only feel the bulk of that huge cock pressed against his buttock then, but he had soon become intimately acquainted with it... had even begged for it, spread his legs wide and twisted his hips wantonly to get more of it inside him. He flushed with remembered shame. There were some things he would rather forget for good.

"I do remember that," Scully quipped, deliberately matching Mulder's attempt at levity.

"Where was he?" Skinner asked, rubbing the smooth skin on his skull.

"He... he was in a room... I don't know where, sir, but I think it was in D.C."

Scully raised her brow at the use of the title. Mulder hadn't called their superior anything but Walter since he had been returned from Mikhail. Alex was too busy kissing Mulder's jaw to notice and Skinner was caught up in his own thoughts, but Scully stared at her partner with a more critical eye. When he had said that Murdoch liked to bite... did he remember the first incident as well? Were more memories coming to him?

"These will have to be stitched up," Scully decided. "They aren't bad, one stitch each should do it. Krycek, I need my bag. It is the black..."

"I know which one it is," Krycek growled, "Go get it, Skinner. I'm not leaving him." His jade eyes defied anyone to contradict him, sparkling with a leashed fury that made Scully want to squirm for its intensity.

"Antonio is coming with it now," Skinner informed them just as the tent flap was moved aside and Antonio stepped in, holding Scully's black bag stuffed with all manner of medical supplies she had gathered in Fort Bragg.

Mulder took the moment to turn and look into Alex's face. Though he been in Alex's presence for days, it had been weeks since he had looked on the pretty face and known that he was the most important thing in the world to him. He smiled a bit, receiving only a blank stare in return. He had to smile a bit; Alex was lost in thought, restraining his anger just barely. He kissed the angular jaw and Alex nuzzled him, his green gaze shifting just enough to inspect Mulder's face.

It scared him that Murdoch could so easily come to him... could he do the same to Alex?

"What are you doing?" Alex hissed at Scully when she took out a fairly large needle and began to thread it with a dark, surgical thread.

"I'm going to stitch him up," Scully replied quizzically, pausing to stare at the assassin who was glaring at her.

"With that? It's too big. Find something smaller," Alex demanded.

"She's the doctor, Alex," Mulder reminded his young lover.

"And I'm the one telling her she isn't sticking that fucking oar into your flesh," Alex growled.

Scully ignored him and soaked a cotton swab with antiseptic wash. She gently laid the swab to the first nipple. Grimacing as Mulder gasped at the sting. Her hand was gripped and pulled away from Mulder's chest and she looked with exasperation into snapping jade.

"You're hurting him, Scully," Alex informed her coldly.

"Alex, she has to clean the wounds, now let her get it done," Skinner barked, receiving a little glare from Alex in response. But Alex obeyed.

"Everyone out," Scully said in frustration as Alex leaned his jaw onto Mulder's shoulder, his arms wrapped protectively around Mulder's waist. Skinner knelt beside her... too close for her to maneuver, his eyes watching her every move critically, though he had the grace to remain silent. Antonio was staring at Mulder with something akin to confusion and all she wanted to do was to get her partner patched up.

Skinner stood reluctantly, but Alex just remained where he was.

"I'm not leaving," he said finally.

"Scully doesn't like to perform in public," Mulder soothed pulling away from Alex's embrace. "I mean why not just have the Gunmen in with video cameras?"

"I'm not leaving," Alex repeated, though he didn't pull Fox back into his chest.

"Are you okay, Mulder?" Langly asked, as he stuck his head in.

"I'm in Hell," Mulder moaned in a joking monotone. To Langly he just held up one thumb.

"Cool, you were making a lot of noise... we thought Krycek... well you know, we thought he got angry or something... we would have come in ourselves, but we saw that the AD Sir and Scully already did. Anyway, Skinner, AD Sir, there's someone here to speak to you... says you know him. Real old guy."

"Baku," Skinner rasped. He turned to leave, but paused. Something was different about Mulder; something felt different about the things he was thinking. A slow smile spread across his face and he turned to face his beautiful lover. "Welcome back, Agent Mulder," he said before stepping out of the tent.

Krycek frowned after Skinner, but his curiosity wasn't such as to compel him to leave Fox's side.

Antonio's gaze kept falling to the parted denim and the strands of hair that curled around temptingly at Fox's crotch. There was something erotic about the fact that Fox had just been mauled... that he was displayed like the pretty piece he was. He could just see the first swell of tasty flesh nestled in the curled hair, and he felt his own organ began to throb in time with his increasing heart rate. Fox smelled so sweet, was so compelling. He wanted him suddenly with a feverish desire. Fox's long legs were parted just slightly, the musk of his hidden flesh like a siren song of desire. Fox's scent coupled with that of Alex's and Dana's was nearly too much stimulation and he had to turn and stumble out of the tent before he took all of them at once, somehow.

Scully didn't look up as Antonio left. She gave up on making Krycek leave and bent to the task at hand. "This will hurt, Mulder, but it will be quick," she assured.

He tried to grin, "Oh you know I love it when you hurt me, Scully," he teased.

She smiled a bit and sterilized her tools once more before slipping the tip of the needle into the flesh, marveling at how little damage had really been done, considering that Murdoch had apparently bitten Mulder's nipple rings off. She didn't even want to know when Mulder had gotten such a thing... only that she knew it had to be recent. She heard a moan and looked up, surprised to see Krycek looking as if he were about to cry. He moaned again as Mulder let out a hissed breath.

"For God's sake, S-scully..." Alex rasped, sounding like a small child.

"One more," she promised as she tied off the first stitch. She looked to Mulder who gave her a tired wink and nodded as she prepared to stitch the second nipple.

"Mmmppff"

Alex ground his teeth at Mulder's sound of pain. Wanting nothing more than to toss the little redhead out of the tent... along with her torture devices.

"There. All done. I'm going to give you Tylenol for the pain," she said briskly, masking her own discomfort at causing her partner pain. It didn't escape her notice that of the three of them, Mulder had taken the small surgery far better than she and Krycek. He had barely moved or uttered a sound, but she was feeling ill and Krycek looked like he wanted to kill her and he had moaned throughout as if he had felt each tug and slide of the needle. "I'd give you something stronger but that would be overkill I think."

"Oh, baby, make her give me Morphine! I'm dying here," Mulder gasped.

Alex missed the wink Mulder gave Scully and he grabbed her black bag. "Give him something stronger, Scully. I mean it."

Mulder sighed. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding here. It's nothing. I've had worse."

Neither his partner or his lover seemed to be clueing in to the fact that he was making reference, albeit subtly, to past events, but instead of calling them on it, he allowed Scully to hand him the bottle of Tylenol and said nothing.

Scully leaned to the side to reach one of several bottles of Evian that Antonio had placed in every tent. She handed one to Mulder and before she could say anything, Mulder grinned.

"Don't tell me, take two and call you in the morning?"

"Fox," Alex scolded him for his levity as Scully smiled and shook her head. She quickly bandaged his nipples and instructed him to not remove the bandages. "They might get infected, Mulder, and then they won't heal as quickly as I suspect they should."

"Oh, he won't," Alex assured her. He pulled the edge of the sleeping bag up again, once he noticed that Mulder's sex was partially revealed. The bastard Murdoch wasn't just intent on removing Mulder's nipple rings. He had been tearing off his clothes as well. He clenched the muscles in his jaw again. Murdoch could have raped him and he would have been forced to watch it. He had been shaking Fox and calling to him, but Fox was too far gone into whatever place Murdoch had stalked him. It had only been Skinner who had been able to reach him. One word from Skinner and Fox had come to.

Another reason they needed Skinner?

Fuck.

He was so deep in thought he was startled by Fox's hand on his thigh, squeezing gently. He looked down at those long fingers and smiled. He loved Fox's fingers. They were analogous of the rest of Fox's lovely body. He looked up into Fox's eyes and frowned a bit at the intent look Fox was giving him. He looked away and stubbornly moved closer to Fox. He didn't care if Fox was still upset with him about the scene by the river; he wasn't leaving his side. Not one chance in Hell. Not one.

"Scully, thank you," Fox murmured. "I think I'm set now."

She gave Alex a hard glance. "No wild stuff until that heals, Krycek," she admonished.

Alex shook his head, looking surprised that she would even mention it. "I'm not going to do anything to hurt him, Scully." He narrowed his eyes a bit. "I don't need to tell you that or anything like it. He's my lover."

Mulder held his hand up as Scully opened her mouth to reply, "Look you two, it is nice that you both care, but I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. So, Scully, you can leave now assured that I am in no danger. And I swear, Alex will not do anything to make you wish you had let me shoot him when you had the chance."

Scully and Alex stared at him a bit confused, but Scully left with one last glance at the dark-haired man who sat so close to her partner.

When she had gone Alex stroked Mulder's arm and sighed. "I... I'm sorry, baby, I know it is strange to you, but I hate to be told to be careful with you... like I would really do something to hurt you." Alex gave Mulder a look from beneath a shutter of sooty lashes, the green of his eyes a startling contrast to the pitch of their borders. He lowered his gaze as Fox continued to stare at him implacably. He made to move away in order to find his silent lover another shirt to wear but Fox stilled him with one hand on his bicep.

"Hey, you," Fox sighed, his voice quiet yet somehow jubilant for all the hush.

Alex frowned. "Hey."

"You know, I think that I have either a lot of reasons to kick you out of this tent or a few to keep you here, what do you think?"

Alex shook his head and without letting Fox continue he twisted around so that his arms were about Fox's waist with his face pressed into Fox's lap. "I won't leave you, baby. I don't want to. Please don't make me. I love you."

"Don't, Alex..." Fox began.

"No. I won't let you think that I don't love you. I do. I'm sorry that I said anything about Garren. I am. I don't care about anything but you. I wish you could just believe me." He kissed Fox's hip, his chin rubbing the gentle swell of Fox's sex, still trapped in the denim.

"I do believe you, babe," Fox whispered. "I remember the first time you said it.

Alex froze. Not sure what Fox meant. Did he mean the first time Alex had ever said it, or the first time the forgetful Fox had heard it just days ago?

"You put your head down like this then too, babe. God, I'd never heard anyone say it before... not anyone who meant it really. It was like having all my dreams come true, all in one small declaration."

Alex raised his face to meet Fox's gaze. "What? Baby, what? You remember?"

Fox stroked his lover's face with a soft hand. "I remember everything... how I slammed you up against the wall thinking I was going insane, but not caring as long as I could taste you... touch you. I remember how quick it all happened... the trip to San Francisco and the morning... you were wearing white boxers and God how I wanted to eat you alive... everything. I remember it all." The last was almost too quiet to hear but Alex heard.

"I thought I had lost you," Alex admitted in a choked voice. He lowered his face back to Fox's lap. "You said you loved Skinner... I was going crazy." He squeezed tight trying to stop from shaking... relief flooding him. Fox remembered him! It was overwhelming. He found to his horror that he wanted to sob in relief. Wanted to wrap himself so tightly to Fox that they would become one... so that he would never again lose him.

Fox tried to bend over Alex but the pain in his chest kept him from fully covering the younger man. "I'm sorry, babe, I can't imagine forgetting you, but that is what Mikhail wanted. I couldn't be a good slave if I constantly wanted to escape to my beautiful lover, now could I?"

Alex shook his head, not moving from the warmth of Fox's lap, he smelled the musky warmth, the familiar scent of the man he adored and he never wanted to move. "No." The stroke of Fox's hand in his hair was addictive, a thousand times more arousing than any stroke from another. He almost purred like the cat Garren called him. "He made you forget it all."

"Especially you, Alex... the one thing I wanted to remember more than anything."

"More than Skinner?" Alex questioned and the uncertainty in his voice made Mulder want to cry. The confident assassin sounded like a lost, little boy.

"More than _anything_ in the world... more than Walter, more than Scully or the Gunmen or even myself... baby, you are everything to me... everything that I wanted to fight for... he had to take you from me."

Alex rose from his supplicant position and hooked his hand behind Mulder's neck. He paused to look at the swollen lips a moment before drawing them to him with a sigh. "I want to kiss you, Fox," he husked.

"I want you to kiss me too," Fox purred already sliding his knees further apart in response to the arousal in Alex's voice. "I want you to kiss me, to touch me... to fuck me. God, I want you, Alex." He grinned then against Alex's pretty, bowed lips. "My sweet little Angel."

Alex chuckled and licked Fox's lower lip. "So you aren't as perceptive as you like to think."

"Why?" Fox purred as he shifted his hips in wanton invitation. "Because I thought you were an angel?"

"Mmm hmmm," Alex groaned, feeling the hard outline of Fox's erection on his belly. "An angel is something I think no one in their right mind would call me."

"Oh, but you are," Fox husked, wanting nothing more than his angel to spread his legs and fuck him so hard he screamed. "You are my angel."

"I'll be anything you want... I am a good actor..."

"You're good at lots of things," Fox sighed as Alex relented and let himself be drawn over Fox's now supine form, careful not to press into Fox's chest. Fox spread his legs about Alex's waist. "I need you inside me, Alex. I want to be yours again."

"You always were mine, Fox," Alex insisted, looking into Fox's wide eyes. "Only mine."

But are you mine, Fox thought before Alex's lips claimed his, burning away any qualms with the satin and heat of his tongue.

**McClellan Air Force Base  
Sacramento, CA   
Day Nineteen   
Hour 1330**

The room was large, but not so large that it dwarfed the four cylinders that stood floor to ceiling in the center of the room. Inside the glass tubes were young men, covered in twitching gossamer tubes that sent out thousands of electrical impulses every minute, moving constantly over flawless skin.

"How are they progressing," Spender queried, fingering the unlit cigarette in his hand. He could see the obvious; the clones were growing at the accelerated rate nicely, but he had no idea or experience with this type of development of clones. Always before, clones were conceived, duplicated in tubes and gestated until infancy and then taken out to progress normally. The clones of Mulder had never been removed from the accelerators and even the scientists in the room experienced with cloning had little idea of what to expect.

The aliens had assured them all that the process was not harmful. They had produced millions of clones in this way when invasions had demanded quick access to a supply of soldiers.

However, they had never seen the physiology that these clones exhibited. They were neither human nor alien... a hybrid of some sort, but what type they were uncertain. There were extra base pairs in the DNA structure that had never been seen in nature, celestial or otherwise.

One of the scientists stroked the glass of the tube closest to him, "They are certainly beautiful," he sighed.

Spender shook his head. Useless human weakness. The medical staff had, from the first, been untowardly attached to the clones. They had shown a bit too much enthusiasm in watching the clones develop. Bill Mulder had yet to visit the clones, choosing instead to prepare the way to the meeting with Murdoch.

"I am not interested in their physical appearance as much as their physical soundness," Spender rasped. "Will they function outside the incubators?"

"They should do fine, if the data we have been given is to be believed," the doctor mused, still reluctant to move away from the glass tube. The electrical impulses within the bluish liquid illuminated the clone in a wash of azure light, making an eerie glow on the white skin of the clone.

Spender turned and left without another word, making his way down a darkened corridor, taking lefts and rights without pause until he came to a doorway that, unlike the doorway to the main medical lab, was unguarded. He punched in a five-digit code into the doorlock and while the light turned green on the lock he wondered what his assassin was doing at that moment. When he entered the room to find the solitary cylinder in the room, and the softly swaying clone inside it, he wondered too if this was not the key to his assassin's heart.

He ignored the two scientists in the room and walked to the cylinder and stared at the clone, the likeness to Fox Mulder astounding him though he had seen thousands of clones before. The clone was young... perhaps not yet eighteen physical years, but the progress, like its brothers in the medical lab, was amazing. In another few hours they would be birthed, utterly without experience of any kind... lambs to the slaughter, without language or sensory development. The four in the lab... the only clones as far as Bill Mulder and the majority of the team in Sacramento knew, would be sent to Murdoch, this one... this one was Spender's alone. His secret.

The two scientists who worked on its progress were completely loyal to Spender alone, they would never betray him to anyone. Bill would never know of this lone clone... and once it had been birthed and judged physically sound, well then the scientists, those loyal fools, would have to be silenced in the most efficient way.

There was only one way to bait a rat trap after all. And Spender couldn't afford any loose ends. Bill might be utterly preoccupied at the moment, but it wouldn't do for him to ever know of this little theft. As Spender watched the clone and the life giving electrical tubes caressing its long body, it opened its eyes. The hazel glow alien in the blue liquid.

* * *

**Salmon Falls, CA  
West of Santa Rosa   
Day Nineteen   
Hour 1500**

Skinner approached Baku with forced calm. The last time he had seen this man, he had been upsetting his family... upsetting Skinner himself so that he had lost Fox to that damnable vampire.

The old man stood straight with his hands clasped lightly behind his back. His eyes bored into Walter's and again Walter felt as if he should know this man. There was something about the way the man stared at him, as if he was at once impatient and proud; it was a look that was nearly paternal.

"You do try my patience, old man," he said in a low voice.

"Your patience is not as wide as it was a month ago, Skinner," Baku said lightly, tapping his foot in the soft dirt of the camp. "You should make Fox and Alex wear the medallions. The vampire would not have sensed anything out of the ordinary with either of them... and there would be no reason to risk your wrath on a mere human."

Skinner raised one brow. In truth he had once again forgotten about the medallions. They were packed away with the rest of Fox's things, but he said nothing of this to Baku. Instead he lowered his chin and stared intently into the brown eyes before him, "You came here to tell me that?"

"No, I came to try to convince you of the necessity of allying with The Garren. And the sooner the better." Baku nodded his head at Antonio who came to stand beside Skinner.

"Why would he want to do that?" Antonio questioned. He was still upset that Garren had so easily usurped his place when Skinner had gone after the sweet little fox.

"Because while you two take a little vacation, enjoying the coastal beauty of California, the rest of the world is at war." He shook his head as Antonio made to speak. "Don't deny that you know the plight of some of your brothers. One in Africa is nearly defeated by Murdoch's forces."

Skinner felt the truth of Baku's words and he spared a glance at Antonio whose lips had gone straight in a grim line.

"Do you think you will have a leisurely life once you reach your southern destination?" Baku asked of Antonio. "So you think that Murdoch will be content to rule only part of the world? He has planned for thousands of years to take over the entire world and you think he will not move forward with his plans? Don't think that because you travel with Skinner that you are as big a threat to Murdoch as is Skinner. When you leave the nest, you will be as vulnerable as your brothers across the seas." He turned to Skinner. "Let your thoughts go out to your brother... know that he is almost sacrificed to your pride and disdain."

Skinner tensed with anger as Baku turned his words on him. But, still there was some truth to them. They, the ascendants who had chosen not to align with Murdoch had a responsibility to one another... it was understood, but he had been so focused on Fox and Alex and Fort Bragg and the people there, that he had forgotten to look at the big picture. He could feel his brother's struggle, the fear and the exhaustion. But what could he have done?

"What do you want? You think that if I align with Garren then my brothers around the world will benefit? What do I need with a pack of wolves that I can easily destroy?"

Baku looked startled for a moment, before he began to cackle. "Confidence is not your weak point, is it, boy? For as long as the Dorl have watched the Mediggo, the pack has been by the Ascendant's side."

"Yes, yes, you told me all this before... so what?" Skinner was getting impatient.

"In that time we have had the opportunity to study them. They are not so easily destroyed... the young ones yes, as you have seen, an ascendant can bring them down. The older wolves are more difficult to destroy. More difficult than you can imagine. You have felt the force of Garren... you must sense it on a level only those of the Opening can know. He, you could not destroy... at least not without a lot more force than you can muster. Hurt him, yes, but he can hurt you as well."

Antonio shifted on his feet and yet kept his expression schooled, mimicking Skinner's.

"The older the wolf, the stronger the wolf," Baku explained. "Those of the blood, what we might refer to as a royal family, are naturally stronger, more able to control the change, but all wolves grow stronger as they age. There are wolves that roam that make Garren seem like a weak infant... hard though that is to believe. He is young for a wolf, their lives are so long as to seem to be immortal. These old wolves, Skinner, could tear Garren into pieces."

"Then why not align with one of the older, stronger wolves," Antonio queried. "If we want to align with a wolf at all... though I see no benefit in it."

"Because Garren is the leader. Uncontested. Absolute. Absolute in a way a human leader has never achieved. There is no wolf that will stand against him, weak or strong young or old. Even the oldest would tear out their own beating heart if he but commanded it. You must understand the pack if you are to benefit from it. Wolves are loyal to three things only. First to the Garren, then to their mate, then to the pack. Only the Garren can put the mate before all other things. But, you must understand that wolves think the pack is made stronger when there is one leader and when mates are taken for life." Baku reached out a hand and tapped Skinner's muscular forearm. "With Garren at your side, the whole pack worldwide will do your bidding, fight your battles... protect your allies. But, you need Garren."

Skinner frowned. He could feel the truth and he knew that Antonio could as well. An alliance with Garren would be beneficial. But at what cost?

"Too, though most wolves are without rational thought in the change, when they are in wolf form, they are as clever as any human when in human form. They can plot and scheme like any other. Too, the bloodline of Garren is not the only line that can maintain rational thought when changed, it is the minority to be sure, this thinking population, but it is deadly." Baku paused and waited for the weight of what he'd said to sink in. "You know too, Skinner, that there are ancient, powerful wolves making their way here, don't you?"

Skinner nodded, he had felt the approach of several such creatures, but had not wanted to admit to himself that they might pose a threat. In truth he had known them to be wolves and had assumed that Garren would keep them in line. One was coming across ice and snow to the north, travelling without sleep or rest, with a stamina that seemed unending. Another, oddly to him, was coming via a sailing vessel. It shouldn't be odd, he supposed, these creatures were alive before the invention of the first ocean going vessels, surely they would have the skill to navigate and to sail one.

There was one more, but he could not get enough of an image of this one to determine where it was coming from or how near it was. That in itself disturbed him greatly.

"They are coming for one reason only, Skinner. To protect the Garren's mate."

Antonio choked and Skinner closed his eyes for a brief moment. "Protect him?" His voice was tired.

Baku took a steadying breath, he could sense that Skinner was coming to his side, but it was a delicate shift. "Yes, protect him from any manner of things; from the cold, from attack, from hunger or boredom or any displeasure... it is a great honor. One that has fallen to very young pack members since Garren has taken him. But, that was necessity. The old ones have earned the honor and they will take it very seriously. You will do well to take them seriously too, Skinner. They will take your best shot, smile and come for your throat. Do not toy with them."

"He keeps Garren in line," Antonio said sullenly. He didn't like the tenor of the conversation. They were ascendants. They should fear nothing.

"Because Garren's mate would be displeased were Skinner to be harmed... more than that... and actually more interestingly, because Fox Mulder would be hurt by it. You see how delicate it is?" Baku smiled. "The Garren has taken a mate and the mate already has a lover... the lover is not expendable as he is far too beautiful and highly changed besides so Garren must accept him. In fact he would most likely claim him were it not for his mate's wishes to the contrary."

"You better speak plainly, old man. What does Fox have to do with this?" Skinner barked. He could scent even now the musk of Alex and Fox's passion. They were so involved with each other that Skinner knew they were unaware of anything but the slide of skin and the heat of their kisses. It was a condition that was not entirely brought on by their change. The two would have tuned out anyone even before the change had rendered them helpless to their sexual needs. Still, the allure of the two made him glower at Baku for his unwelcome message and the reality of it.

"Fox is the key to Alex, Alex is the key to Garren. Garren is your key to the safety of the world and Murdoch's destruction," Baku said in a steady voice despite his growing excitement at Skinner's growing acceptance.

Skinner looked at Antonio and saw the recognition of the veracity of the old man's words. He also saw the same resentment in those black eyes that he felt. But still. An alliance with Garren would serve he and his well. Very well. He knew it was something he would have to face, but to give up his claim to Alex was something he was not eager to do. Even though, in the beginning he had resented the green-eyed beauty, he now reveled in his ownership of him.

"Garren will not turn against Murdoch," Skinner said, more in an attempt to deny the inevitable.

"He will to protect his mate." Baku looked sly, younger than his years as he felt the pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together. "Simply suggest to Garren that for the protection of his mate, he should ally with you. Remind him of Murdoch's gentle care of Alex the last time Garren brought his mate before his old master. But don't delay Skinner, I fear one of your brothers is already lost. Don't wait. He will be here by nightfall."

Both Skinner and Antonio knew he referred to Garren.

At Skinner's reluctant nod and Antonio's grim face, Baku sighed in relief. "He will be angered that you took his mate without permission..."

Skinner began to redden in anger and Baku lifted a placating hand.

"He's already allowed you liberties with him, Skinner. You _must_ accept that Alex is his now. You _must_ or the alliance is gone and Murdoch takes everything in the end. Especially Fox."

Skinner stilled himself with an effort and Antonio shook his head. "You ask that Skinner just hand over a changed male so easily?"

"A changed male for the security of millions? I think it a fair trade" Baku growled, his own ire showing for the first time. "There are hundreds of changed humans, only a handful of decent ascendants."

"I will not allow Garren to take Alex from Fox. I can give him up... for the right reason, but I will not take him from Fox... not for anything in the world." Skinner's face was filled with a mixture of loss and sorrow and defiant anger.

Baku nodded. "You give up a lot. Perhaps Garren will share his mate." He didn't elaborate. He knew that eventually Garren would take Fox, for what wolf could resist him? He would perhaps let Skinner use Alex for the use of Fox. More likely he would want to take Fox and Alex together. Perhaps Skinner would enjoy watching it... perhaps even participating. "Alex will go willingly to Garren, Skinner. He will be growing restless for him even now."

Skinner could sense Alex's full attention devoted to pleasing Fox, but he didn't bother to inform Baku of that fact. He could well-imagine how attentive the assassin would be. Gently hovering above Fox's body. Fox with his legs spread, his lips panting, swollen flesh touched with strong fingers. Alex's lips bowed in avid worship. He could hear them now, Fox begging to be taken, Alex refusing to do more than kiss him, worried that he might disturb Fox's stitches.

Antonio was distracted too by the scent of the two. Baku sighed. He had done enough for now. He would leave before any of the old wolves or the Garren himself arrived in the small camp. Wolves were decidedly less forgiving of slight than these two human ascendant.

* * *

"Ple-please, Alex... I want it... it won't hurt. I can sit on you," Fox begged once more, as Alex trailed fire up and down his torso, wet lips sucking Fox's flesh. He was lying nude on the sleeping bag. Alex had taken off the jeans, frowning at the ripped crotch, but saying nothing.

"No," Alex replied, again. "Please?"

"No, baby, not until your stitches heal a bit."

"Ohhh... but..."

"But nothing, baby." Alex looked up into Fox's frantic eyes. They were both nearly mindless with the heat of passion, every slide of skin so enticing, every taste of flesh an erotic fantasy. He wanted to slam inside Fox. Push those long legs up high and tight and pound in hot and hard, remind Fox of who he really belonged to, remind him of how good it was between them this way. But instead he slid his mouth down to Fox's weeping cock and licked at the tip.

"Can I just eat you, baby," Alex moaned, his husky excitement making Fox whimper.

"Al-alex," Fox moaned. He watched the pink lips part, jade staring up at him beneath a curtain of soot. He couldn't help but move his hips a bit at the sexy sight of his cock sliding into that pretty mouth. Loved that Alex was watching him. "Oh, God, that's... mmmm."

Alex loved the taste, the silky slide of skin. Fox's legs were already far apart, in typical wanton fashion making Alex moan around the thick flesh. Fox was such a wanton slut, it made him want to pound into him even more, make his baby cry and beg. When Fox lifted his knees, placing the soles of his feet on the sleeping bag, Alex moaned again, the vibration making Fox cry out with pleasure.

He wet his fingers and caressed the flesh of Fox's perineum, moving lower, grinning as Fox lifted his hips eagerly. He slid off Fox's cock, "You want me to finger fuck you, baby?"

Fox's only response was an eager gasp.

"No? Oh and you are so hot and ready, baby," Alex teased. He pushed hard into Fox's prostate gland and Fox cried out.

"Alex! Don't tease me," he begged.

"So you _want_ me to finger you?"

Fox nodded frantically, humping his hips up and down in desperate invitation. "Mmm."

"I can't hear you, baby," Alex growled, lapping at Fox's swollen penis.

"Yes, yes, please finger fuck me... please finger me... finger fuck me, Alex. Pl-please," Fox begged obediently.

It inflamed Alex more than he could have imagined. Fox was too beautiful, too hotly needy. He lapped a course with his tongue, swabbing the tight pucker with lascivious, growling with desperation himself. Fox's whimpers of appreciation, his scissoring legs and the taste of him all served to make Alex want to scream in frustration. While he knew Fox would welcome him inside of him, he himself did not want to risk hurting Fox in his passion.

He nipped at the tight flesh, growling as Fox's hips bucked in response. He wrapped a fist about Fox's cock and while he nibbled and licked as the tight opening he moved his hand in a rhythmic motion in time to Fox's thrusting hips. When the puckered flesh of Fox's anus relaxed under his ministrations he slid a finger inside, thrilling to Fox's gasp.

He slid the digit in and out and circled a bit, still licking and nibbling the relaxed muscle. He thumbed the satiny head of Fox's cock and had to chuckle at Fox's strangled scream.

"You're such a slut, baby," he whispered, caught by the flushed beauty of Fox's face.

"Please do me, Alex," Fox panted. "I'll be good... you don't have to worry... it won't hurt."

"No!" Alex gritted his teeth. "God, no!"

"Why?" Fox whined.

Alex groaned. "Baby, you know why..."

"Please. I need you... I haven't had you... not since before... before Mikhail... only Walter."

Alex narrowed his eyes at that. It was true. Where Skinner had reclaimed Mulder's body after he had been returned, Alex had not... not in the way Fox was begging him to do. But, he didn't want to reclaim him at the cost of hurting him. Fox was staring up at him with eyes that were full of clouded entreaty. How could he resist him? When all he wanted to do was please him?

"When you are healed, Fox... please... when you're healed." He voice was desperate now. He knew what was best, but he couldn't tell Fox no for long... not when all he wanted to do was say yes.

Fox shifted under him, spreading his legs further and pouting. "But I need you, Alex," he whined. Tears of frustration started to make the moss colored eyes gleam and Alex was lost.

"On your back and no wild stuff," he growled as Fox suddenly beamed and nodded his head eagerly. Alex half expected him to say, 'goody!' but all he did was place one leg up on Alex's shoulder.

"Yes, Alex... no rough stuff and spread out on my back like this," Fox purred, nearly content.

Alex groaned. Fox looked so beautiful, his head to the side, his lips moist, his eyes shining.

"You can do it now," Fox said when Alex still hesitated.

"Give me a second, baby, or there really will be rough stuff," Alex panted, trying to control the sudden urge to slam into Fox and pound him through the fabric of the tent.

Fox simply licked his lips and moaned. When Alex finally began to penetrate him, both men were breathing harshly and staring into each other's eyes. Afraid to put pressure on Fox's chest, Alex lifted Fox a bit, taking his weight on his shoulders. He pushed all the way into Fox's tight warmth and began to thrust, slow and steady.

Fox stared at his beautiful lover, loving that Alex hadn't even bothered to undress. He loved being nude while Alex remained clothed. Though Alex's body was indeed fantastic there was something extra sensual in the disparity in clothing. Something lustful. Alex was trying to be so gentle, but Fox could see the passion building, knew that Alex would begin to thrust hard and deep soon enough. They were both trying to contain the sounds of their lust, ever fearful that Scully might charge in with murder in her eyes.

But when Alex lost control and began to pound hard into Fox's writhing body, neither man could contain their cries of pleasure. Throughout, Alex refrained from leaning into Fox, and so kept pressure off the wounded nipples, but later he would recall the few instances of Mulder wincing in pain and berate himself harshly. But, in the midst of their coupling neither could have stopped.

"Play with yourself, baby," Alex commanded hoarsely, using both hands to hold Mulder's hips lifted off the ground.

Fox took his swollen penis in his hands and began to caress his own flesh while Alex stared down at the sight. The slippery head, wet with precum, slid through Fox's fingers and Alex wanted nothing more than to bend to taste it. He groaned in frustration that he dared not. When Fox began to buck wildly, sliding his fist over his cock faster and faster Alex knew Fox was about to come.

"Al-Alex... oh... yeah... there... there... that's... that's..."

The spasming muscles of Fox's rectum heralded the orgasm milliseconds before Fox's cock exploded, sending spurts of come over Alex's chest and his own, taut belly.

The clenching muscles were so tight, Alex could barely move and he cried out with Fox as he came. He thrust several more times reflexively, only slowly letting Fox's hips down as he calmed. He smiled softly, looking down at Fox. Seeing the eyes dazed, the long lashes slowly moving up and down. He had to slide out of Fox to lay at his side and Fox never even registered that Alex had moved. Alex kissed the mole that drove him crazy, pulling it into his mouth and sucking on it. He felt a bit like a lecher, enjoying Fox when Fox was unaware. But, it was hot too. He licked at the plump lips, parted them with his tongue and bit at the generous flesh.

"God, I love you, Fox," he hissed. "I love you so much."

Fox didn't respond and he moaned with the pleasure of knowing he had fucked his lover senseless. "You're fucking great for my ego, baby." He kissed Fox once more then curled contentedly at his side to wait for Fox to come back from his zone. Fox's slurred words made him smile.

"I love you too, angel." 

* * *

**Monte Rio, CA  
Day Nineteen   
Hour 1600**

Garren stopped to drink from a small pond. He had been running all night and he wasn't in a pleasant mood. He had returned from his hunt to find what he already knew, the ascendant had taken his mate and gone south. It was unforgivable nearly. In any other situation this outrage would be resolved in only one way, the one who had taken his mate would die. But, things were strange for the pack and its leader, too. What was to be a time of freedom from the shadows, a time of standing at Murdoch's side as he ruled the world, was now a time completely different. He splashed water on his chest, ignoring the chill that pebbled his nipples instantly.

He was completely taken with his mate... stupid with the desire to please him, which drastically altered his actions... not killing the old man and not making Skinner pay for his theft were just some of the more egregious examples of his softness. He was, for the first time since taking the leadership of the pack from his aging father, not at Murdoch's side, was in fact unconcerned with Murdoch's safety. He could take care of himself now that he had become.

He shook the excess water from his face with a disgruntled shake and stood. There were members of the pack nearby, but sensing his ire they were staying away from him lest he turn that ire on them. For two nights he had been away from his mate. The ascendant wasn't too far away now, Garren would reach him by nightfall, but it angered him nonetheless. His cat would be needing him soon, the spore would see to that. Eventually Alex would accept his place and then Garren's life would return to normal. Better than normal for he would have a beautiful cat to warm his bed.

When he reached him that is. He growled softly aching to change, to race non-stop to Alex's side and confront the larcenous ascendant. But, he splashed more water on his face and forced the change away. A rustling in the low brush brought his head up. He narrowed his eyes into slits as he saw the group of tottering, shuffling dead things that made their way toward him. Their eyes were drooling some foul, black liquid and their faces were blank, displaying no sign of the hunger that made their movements quicken as they caught his scent.

Five of them. Four males and a female. There was still the dirt of the grave on them, covering their bodies and caking in the fingernails extended toward him. He could hear more rustling and excited moaning coming from the direction the first five had come and with his hearing focused he could make out the tread of perhaps fifteen more of the dead things. He looked up across the pond he had stopped beside and saw the southern tip of a small cemetery. The first five were closing in on him just as the brush parted to reveal their hungry reinforcements.

He grinned. And let them come. The first grabbed at him and he tore its head off with a human-shaped hand. Changing would make no sport of this, would in fact end it too quickly. He drove a fist into the chest of the next and lifted it off its feet while his hand was covered in its cold insides. He heard the restless howls of the nearest pack members gathering the pack. But he ignored them. They wouldn't dare spoil his fun, but they would come anyway, to make sure it remained fun.

He fell into the slaughter with something akin to pure joy. He ripped into the throat of one of the newcomers with his teeth and quickly pushed it away spitting and choking at the vile taste. What had once been succulent human flesh was now putrid and fit only for worms. Because the taste had so offended him he let his hand become a claw and he tore the offender in two with a snarl, still spitting out the taste. He paused long enough to rinse out his mouth before he began to hunt the rest of his would-be attackers.

When they all lay dead... again, Garren cleaned himself of their blackish blood. These zombies would only rise from the recently dead, or those that had kept enough flesh to fuel the hunger. If humans but burned their dead as civilized creatures did, the zombies would cease to exist. The deterioration would continue even on the reanimated and soon they would fall down where they stood and twitch and moan until there was nothing left of them.

The killing had made him feel a bit better and once he was clean he changed and began the last of this run to his mate. He couldn't help the twinge of worry for him. The thought of him cold or hungry or mistreated by Skinner in some way lent speed to his run. He knew the worries were groundless, Skinner wouldn't hurt him, but he was helpless to prevent the worry. He would only really be comfortable with Alex's safety when he himself was there to assure it.

* * *

**Washington D.C.  
Penthouse   
Day Nineteen   
Hour 1730**

Murdoch received his prize with a cold smile. He twisted his fingers into its hair and tilted it so he could stare into the deep brown eyes. Awareness sparked in those honey depths and Murdoch spit in their drying recesses. It was time to make a public appearance of triumph. He freed his fingers from the soft curls and gestured for the gathered first bloods to come near.

"I want as many of the citizens of my city brought to The Mall. I will make an appearance at the foot of the statue of Lincoln. When I finish my speech the statue is to be torn down, and construction of a new one to begin. I think you can assume safely of whom."

The man who had once been the Director of the FBI, Babcock was the first to leave to go attend his master' bidding. The new world was one in which he had all his dreams answered; plenty of males to own... especially those young college types, the ones that were always tuning up their pretty noses at him in the former world. He grinned. Now the very same lovelies were struggling to find favor with him. Little whores, all of them. Willing to suck cock, spread their legs, open their asses... anything, any perverse pleasure they would attend as long as they could be made safe from Murdoch's hunters.

A little obedience to the Ascendant was more than worth the bounty of being a first blood in this world.

* * *

He moved toward the camp, feeling the prickling unease at the presence of such a powerful ascendant. Surely almost as strong as the old master would have become. That one would be a worthy opponent event to one such as himself. There was another ascendant, not deadly to him, but to the majority of the pack. He could scent the many different changed humans, one more changed then the others, intoxicatingly changed, and in a highly sexually aroused state. It made him growl just a bit. But, he was not here to dally with fine flesh. He was here to protect the mate. A human mate, a changed human mate at that. He grinned. The young Garren was indeed trying to make things difficult for himself. Those of the blood had to reproduce so he would have to take a female wolf at some point, but would the mate allow it?

The pack would demand it.

But would the mate allow it?

That was the question.

He grinned again, already eager to watch his young Garren fall over himself to please the mate. It was his first. The young Garren was fierce, fiercer still than even his own father, who spent years weighing the consequences of outcomes and who until his dying day had tried to force his heir to think things through. The old Garren had died not displeased with his young son though, he knew. The young Garren was what the pack needed in this time of change.

Brutal and fierce, but brilliant as well.

He was still a bit stunned that the pack served Murdoch no longer. He had lived nearly longer than Murdoch and the pack had always served him. The Garrens were always at his side. But no longer.

He shrugged. It wasn't for him to say, certainly not for him to question the Garren's decision. If the Garren wanted to explain he would, if not, then not.

A lock of silvery black hair fell into his face and he brushed it away with a large hand. His amber eyes glowed a bit in the shadows of the sparse trees as he realized just who the young changed male was in rut with. The mate.

He shook his head, trying not to chuckle. He knew already of the quandary his Garren was in with the mate having his own mate already. Again. It was not his to say. He would simply protect. Just as he had protected the young Garren when he was but a pup. It was enough.

He walked in to camp and smiled at the look on the faces of the people there. He looked into the most powerful ascendant's eyes and said, "I am here to protect the mate. Do you stand between me and he then we will battle. Do you stand aside and allow me to stand vigil then we wait for the Garren in peace."

He was impressed that the human ascendants, both of them seem unperturbed by his presence when he knew they could sense his strength. He nodded back as the larger ascendant nodded in acquiescence. He paused beside him and because the man seemed to be a fighter, he elaborated, something he would never have deigned to do for a mere human. "It is an honor to guard him. I will not interfere in your camp."

Skinner, who had been taken utterly aback by the presence of the huge man in the center of his camp, a man who was Garren's size, maybe a bit smaller, but who radiated a power that Skinner could not fathom. He seemed tired though, to Skinner. Not physically tired really, but tired in another way. The amber eyes were not unkind, and they held a wisdom that none of the other wolves, with the exception of Garren, had portrayed, even in human form.

But he knew the wolf would not be a grandfatherly sort. He was true to his word however and simply walked to the tent in which Alex and Fox were quieting, circled it once and then sat to the east side of it. Skinner lifted his face to the dusky twilight and wanted to scream. But the now deafening silence of his brother in Africa stilled him.

How many more sacrifices would he have to make? How many times would he be forced to retreat? He steeled himself then. He would speak with Garren of an alliance. If Garren was willing then they would become allies.

It was only a few hours later that Garren entered the camp.

* * *

**McClellan Air Force Base  
Sacramento, CA   
Day Twenty   
Hour 0330**

Spender rapped on Bill Mulder's bedroom door, waking the other man.

When Bill answered the door he was still tying a silk robe about his waist. "This had better be good."

Spender smiled, patted the pack of cigarettes in his pocket as if to assure himself of their presence. "The clones are being birthed."

Bill didn't show his surprise. "Already?" he asked turning back into his bedroom.

Spender followed unbidden and made his way to the large window, which overlooked the entire base, lit by the greenish, alien light. "They are fully formed and aged to approximately their twenty-third year."

"Still so young," Bill mused unhappily.

Spender sighed. "Would another year or three really make them better prepared to be concubines?"

Bill turned a glare on his old friend. "Don't think I am happy to send parts of my son to him... but I will. I would even send my son as well. I would do it in a heartbeat to save all that we have worked for." He moved toward his temporary wardrobe to find the appropriate garb in which to meet his son's clones. "In fact, it is my sacrifice that will save us, Spender. Murdoch will be thrilled to be gifted such bounty... especially when it comes from me, the father. He will know the sacrifice I make."

Spender nodded, not watching as the older man dressed.

"How many are there?"

Spender barely held a gasp in at the question. "What do you mean? There are four, Bill, you know that."

"All four are birthing now?" Bill's voice showed no surprise, just interest. It showed no suspicion either.

"Yes, yes all four are birthing. In fact we are missing the first one I should think."

Bill made a sound of discontent and then with one last adjustment he walked, dressed toward the door. "Then let us get there."

They made their way to the medical lab where the first of the clones was already standing aided by the medical staff in the center of the room. He was staring blankly, but curiously at the hands that rubbed soft clothes over his slick body, cleaning him.

Bill nodded in approval as the clone looked exactly as his own son had in his mid twenties. Old enough to be used, he rationalized. He ignored the fact that the brain inside the pretty skull, while capable of being quite brilliant was now, infantile, completely without experience or the ability to understand sensation.

And it smelled so good.

As the next clone was being birthed the first was led tenderly away by smitten doctors who cooed to and petted the soft-skinned male every step of the way.

Spender didn't get to sneak away to attend his own clone's birth, but when he was able to make it to the secret room, the clone was already sitting on its small bed, blinking incomprehensibly at the two doctors who were attempting to communicate with the beautiful creature.

The aliens had insisted that language could be taught in vitro, but that it would be crude. Spender had yet to hear one of the clones speak, but this one, upon seeing him, said, "Thirsty."

Spender beamed and one of the two doctors leapt up to get the clone a glass of water.

Spender sat beside the trembling clone, noting its nudity in the chilly room. "Let's get him clothed shall we?"

The doctors looked disappointed and when the clone grabbed Spender's hand to place it on his semi-erect cock, Spender turned an accusing eye toward the two doctors, who had the grace to flush.

"Nice body," the clone whispered, rubbing Spender's hand up and down on his own hardening penis. "Pretty."

"Yes, you are very pretty, little clone, but daddy Spender just wants to be your friend." He grinned into the wide, innocent eyes, eyes that had never seen hardship or known loss. He didn't remove his hand but squeezed the flesh a bit first. "You will be such a good friend, little Fox."

The clone tilted its head, its eyes searching for something in Spender's face. When his cock was completely hard he whispered, "Good boy." Obviously repeating that which he had heard from the doctors in the very same circumstances.

Spender could well see the scene. The foolish scientists playing with the lovely, utterly malleable clone. Touching his naked flesh, stroking him into erection. Why else would the clone take Spender's hand to himself and when he was hard call himself a good boy? He knew nothing of sex, maybe simply that the hands felt good there. Certainly he knew nothing of seduction. It was a miracle that the language stimulation that the aliens had promised seemed to have worked. But, the clone would not really understand what he was saying until he experienced things. Once experienced, like thirst, he could come up with the necessary word. He could recite, or so the aliens promised, every word in the English language, but saying banana and knowing it was a fruit, and knowing it tasted sweet did not actually inform one of what sweet was, or what eating felt like.

He was a blank slate with only a rudimentary grasp of communication skills.

Had he not planned on killing the men, he would be inclined to do so now. This was not a sex object like its brothers, it was for his sweet assassin, his lure to bring Krycek to him.

He smiled into the moss green eyes. "Good boy," he whispered, agreeing, and smiled.

The clone mimicked him, its full lips sliding into a smile, awkward, but lovely. It blinked its eyes slowly and when the doctor who had been sitting to his right handed him a glass of water he smiled at him, too.

The three men watched as most of the water went down the clone's chest and they chuckled as he looked confused by the cold sensation on his belly. He looked content with the water though, swallowing reflexively.

"Good." He frowned then. "Bad?" He shook his head. "Good."

"Yes, good," Spender choked out. "Water is good."

The clone took another sip this time ignoring the cold water that trailed down his chest. Spender noted that the two doctors were fairly drooling to lap up the trails of water. The clone saw nothing wrong, felt none of the tension, simply drank and tried to mimic Spender's motions. Spender couldn't help but chuckle.

It was perfect. Fox Mulder, only so innocent his little assassin would have to feel some protectiveness. Oh yes indeed. Alex would come. And stay, do anything, endure anything to save this sweet innocent from harm.

He had only to lure him away. And he already knew how to do that... and make sure that Murdoch got the real Mulder as a treat.

It was a perfect plan really.

One that even Bill Mulder would approve of.

"Eye," the clone said suddenly, pointing to Spender's left eye.

"Yes, Fox, this is an eye," he agreed. The two doctors were flushing now and clearing their throats. It made Spender wonder just what else the clone would point to next. The two men had been quite busy with the clone he could tell.

"Mouth... kiss with," the clone said proudly, touching Spender's tight lips. He tilted his head and touched his own lips. "Soft," he proclaimed. He touched Spender's again, "Hard."

Spender just had to chuckle again. There was something to be said for the power of innocence. It made him, just for the briefest moments of course, want to be the first one to show this clone what real pain and fear were. It would be so interesting really. It would have no way of coping with such things, it trusted him implicitly simply because it knew nothing else. Betrayal, pain and fear were just words to it... to him.

So too were words like sodomy and fellatio. He began to get hard then, staring into those lovely eyes. He traced a finger over the pretty, distracting mole, wondering what the clone would think if he suddenly pushed its... his head into his lap.

"Face," the clone supplied helpfully as Spender continued to stroke his cheek.

"Face," Spender agreed in a choked voice.

* * *

**Salmon Falls, CA  
West of Santa Rosa   
Day Nineteen   
Hour 2300**

Scully was standing beside her mother, speaking quietly and getting food together for the rest of the group and the Gunmen were playing a game of poker with Antonio when he came. He spared them no glance and went straight to the tent in which both Alex and Fox still slept.

The other wolf, the one who had sat quietly for hours beside the tent rose to meet Garren and a small smile of welcome graced Garren's face before he unzipped the flap to the tent.

"They're sleeping, Garren."

Garren turned to the sound of Skinner's voice and he glared at him. "I can smell that, ascendant. I do only check to see that he is well."

The older wolf cleared his throat loudly and Garren turned to look at him with a raised brow, before he nodded. "I am sure you are doing a fine job, Akyel. But, forgive me, I need to check for myself." So saying he pulled the flap of the tent back and leaned his head and shoulders in, frowning as his head brushed against the top. He hated confined quarters.

The sight of his mate sleeping peacefully calmed him. He smiled a bit at the sight. The little cat was curled up next to Fox and his mouth was pursed in a little, pink pout, his finely made brows drawn slightly together. "Even in sleep he is contrary," Garren chuckled quietly, his body reacting to the scent of his mate. The prince was sound asleep beside Alex, smelling lovely and... like blood. There were bandages on the lovely, smooth chest and the smell of pain as well as lust inside the nylon confines of the tent. He frowned then and retreated from the tent. He turned on Skinner. "Can you not keep your Fox from harm, ascendant?" He shook his head. "He is _too_ valuable. You shouldn't let him come to harm."

Skinner glowered. "You need to tell that to your master! He is the one intent on hurting him."

Garren frowned, his eyes narrowed, the ice blue barely visible between dark lashes. But, he remained silent.

"Do you need to show respect for the Garren, human," Akyel warned in a voice that was descending into a growl as he stood.

Skinner looked at the older wolf, unafraid. "You have no part in this."

Garren held his hand up to Akyel. "Leave it."

Akyel immediately returned to his former, watchful position at the edge of the tent.

"You and I need to talk, Garren. I have a proposition for you," Skinner rasped, his eyes burned red and Garren nodded.

"We do need to talk." He intended on making sure that Skinner never again took his mate from him. It wasn't something he would tolerate another time. But he was intrigued by the big ascendant's scent. It was angry and fearful at the same time. The fear was not due to his presence or that of Akyel, but something else. Perhaps fear for the little fox.

"Good. Walk with me," Skinner commanded and Akyel narrowed his eyes at the tone, but said nothing.

Garren raised one tawny brow but followed Skinner to the edge of the camp and beyond, to the scattered trees and brush.

Antonio watched the two disappear into the night and he wondered what would be the outcome. Would they emerge as allies or would they be enemies? Either way he would stand by Skinner. For though they did not agree on how to treat humans, changed or no, for the most part they were in accord in their distaste for Murdoch and his hunters. He wished Dana weren't staring at him for he might sneak into the tent, in which the two lovely males slept and taste them.

Skinner would be furious... the wolf would be too, but it would be worth it. Fox was a pain but he smelled so divine... and Alex... well Alex just wanted it. He was a born slut. Before the change he had sold it... maybe not for money but he _had_ sold it.

But Dana was staring at him. He went to her side and tried to explain to her what was going on. Of course her first concern was how this alignment, this giving of Alex to Garren would affect Fox. He sighed.

Couldn't she see that he seemed to be the only one who thought Alex and Fox should be separated? Even the damn wolf wasn't eager to do it. Of course they were so lovely when they were fucking. He wanted to see Fox fuck Alex again, like he had the last several times... since he had returned from his vampire adventure actually.

Fox made Alex scream so wonderfully.

There were benefits to keeping the two together, Antonio mused as he bent to smell the lovely scent of Dana's hair.

Perhaps with an alliance, Alex would be easier to have... without Skinner hovering over him all the time. Perhaps the wolf could be tempted to lend out the beauty.

He hid a smile as Byers skirted about him in order to get a bottle of water from the table behind Antonio. Byers would be skittish... after what Antonio and he had done earlier. Poor little, sweet man.

He searched out Skinner with his mind to feel if the man needed aide. What he felt from Skinner's thoughts made him look to his feet to consider the possibilities. How would it go from here on out, now that the decision was all but made? He would wait for Skinner and Garren to return, then they would all talk. 

* * *

Outstanding Skinner AU   
Honorable mention   


DATE: 09/15/99   
RATING: Very NC-17  
SPOILERS: None  
SUMMARY: Alternate Universe After the events of The Changing, the world is ruled by magic and Mulder has to learn to find a role for himself in the new paradigm.  
WARNING: Sexual Assault, Angst, explicit sex (consensual and non-consensual) between hot men, magic, and B&D. If that isn't your thing or you are below the age of consent. DO NOT READ!!!!!!!!!! My Krycek has two arms and he's going to keep them thank you.  
DISCLAIMER: They aren't mine. They belong to CC and 1013 Productions. I don't make any money... wouldn't take it if I could, just borrowing, you can have them back.  
FEEDBACK: Please and thank you.   
[email removed]  
Website if applicable: [ http://www.slashingmulder.com/Author_N.htm](http://www.slashingmulder.com/Author_N.htm)   
DEDICATED TO: Megaera for beta and for reminding me that the supernatural exists beyond the written word, (but mostly near her home) And to JoB (who gives great beta and has an arsenal of ideas). Thanks to Cerulean_Blue, Amothea, and Michael for their support, beta and _delicious_ ideas... keep 'em coming love.   
---


	8. The Clones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Universe After the events of The Changing, the world is ruled by magic and Mulder has to learn to find a role for himself in the new paradigm.

  
**Chapter Eight  
The Clones**

_Come to me, run to me  
Do and be done with me   
(cold cold cold)   
Don't I exist for you   
Don't I still live for you   
(cold cold cold)   
Everything I possess given with tenderness   
Wrapped in a ribbon of glass   
Time it may take us but God only knows   
How I paid for those things in the past _

Dying is easy it's living that scares me death   
I could be so content hearing the sound of your breath   
Cold is the color of crystal the snowlight   
That falls from the heavenly skies   
Catch me and let me dive under   
For I want to swim in the pools of your eyes 

I want to be with you baby, slip me inside of your heart   
Don't I belong to you baby   
Don't you know that nothing can tear us apart   
Come on now come on now come on now   
Telling you that I loved you right from the start-   
But the more I want you the less I get   
Ain't that just the way things are- 

"Cold"   
Annie Lennox 

**Salmon Falls, CA  
West of Santa Rosa   
Day Nineteen   
Hour 2300**

Skinner sensed the impatience in Garren as they walked further from the camp. He stopped near the small river's edge and watched as Garren's eyes roamed the bank, a flicker of unease in his tropical eyes. Though there was little light now, neither man had any difficulty seeing. The stars were as bright as Skinner had ever seen them, even as a child staring up to watch for shooting stars or better yet, satellites. He stared up for several minutes, seeking the serenity of his youth but not finding even a whisper of it. 

"Ascendant." Garren growled. "Are you deliberately keeping me waiting?" 

Skinner nearly smiled at the warning tone. For one who had followed Murdoch around like a tame puppy for countless centuries, Garren was certainly sure of his own position. 

"No. Just thinking about how to begin," Skinner said quietly, reflectively. 

"Best to start at the beginning and do it now! I would like to see my mate for more than one quick look." 

"He is what I want to speak to you about... one of the things anyway." Skinner turned to face Garren, standing far enough away so that he didn't have to crane his neck up to see the huge man's youthful face. A face of angelic beauty. 

Garren frowned. "You are not going to keep me from him, Ascendant. I am warning you. I will not tolerate... " 

"No. No I am not." 

Garren frowned. He hadn't really expected to win this easily. The ascendant, Skinner, was a powerful man, not one who would give up so easily. The faint glow of red in the man's eyes reminded Garren that this was no fatted calf led easily to the kill. He was immediately suspicious. "You accept my claim then?" 

"I do." Skinner kept his eyes focused on Garren's and let none of his remorse show. 

Garren's frown deepened. "Is this trickery?" 

"No. I will concede him to you... if you will make certain he is safe." 

Garren narrowed his eyes. "Do you insult me? I will always keep him safe. More safe than you have kept Fox." 

Skinner held back his anger. It wouldn't do to jump at any insult, especially ones that were shaded with such truth. 

"Then I charge you with his safety, Garren. Go! Take him tonight." Skinner held his breath. What if the wolf didn't care for Alex as deeply as Skinner suspected he did? What if Garren took up his offer and left with Alex, unmindful of the bond between Fox and Alex? 

Garren looked surprised. "Leave with him?" 

Skinner looked impatient. "Yes. Do you think I want a reminder of my failure? That I couldn't keep both him and Fox from Murdoch?" 

"What does Murdoch have to do with this? He wants your Fox." 

"He wanted Alex too. Or do you forget why you broke with Murdoch?" 

Garren shook his head. "No, I do not forget. But he hasn't come for either of them." 

"Except in Fox's dreams... you knew Murdoch had such power didn't you?" 

Garren took a deep breath. "He takes him to the dark place from which we all come... it is no dream. He has taken Fox there already?" He was concerned, though didn't show it. If Murdoch were to take Alex there, there would be nothing he could do... not until Alex woke on his own or by some other force and he would be forced to watch the whole thing. He felt his blood chill and the hairs on the back of his neck rose just at the image of that. His eyes blazed with anger and he shook his head. 

"You smelled his blood," Skinner hissed. "Murdoch did that to him. I cannot protect them both and the Gunmen too. Not and do my duty to balance things. So take Alex, but know this. If you harm him I will come after you, Garren. And your wolves will not save you." 

Garren was still contemplating Murdoch when what Skinner had said sank in. "You will give me Fox to take with Alex?" 

Skinner laughed. "You are kidding aren't you?" He laughed again. "Wolves have senses of humor after all." 

"Alex is attached to Fox," Garren pointed out, trying to sound reasonable and sounding impatient instead. 

"Yes, well, he'll just have to suffer, for I am not giving you Fox as well. Don't ask again." Skinner made as if to move away, but Garren took his arm. 

"Are you trying to manipulate me into something, Ascendant? You know I will not make Alex suffer," his voice was coming close to a hiss for all its bass. 

"Manipulate? I give you Alex and ask you to leave. How is that a manipulation? Don't you want him?" 

Garren growled then. "You know Alex will not want to leave Fox. He will... he will not be happy, Ascendant." Garren was frowning furiously at Skinner. 

Skinner felt some hope now. It was obvious that Alex was not just some beautiful trophy to the pack leader. It made things easier to bear. A bit. "And I am not giving you Fox. You better think of something, Garren" 

Garren shook his head. "I will travel with you then. Alex will not be upset if he can have Fox around. This would not bother me overly much." He sounded arrogant when he said this, as if he was deigning to let Skinner into his presence. 

"I cannot trust you, Garren," Skinner said quietly. "You are still loyal to Murdoch. And he is my enemy. If he gains in power, then everything I love is in jeopardy. More, you know it and do nothing about it." 

Garren smiled a bit then. "So this is what this is about. You want me to turn away completely from Murdoch and you think to buy this with something that already belongs to me. I am not a fool, Skinner. I have been alive longer than your civilization, you cannot think to trick me. Do not try to manipulate me." 

Skinner had to smile then. Garren was a surprise. "You are right, I did try to manipulate you. Let me be frank." 

"It is time," Garren agreed, his eyes narrowed. 

"I seek to protect what is mine. Also I seek to aid my brothers who challenge Murdoch. You know why I do. It has been pointed out to me that to be successful I need you. So I made a decision. A concession." 

Garren tilted his head. "It was a risk, for as I have said, Alex is mine already. You concede that, yes. But, you would have been forced to anyway. I see that as no incentive to join you. I, unlike you, have no need for allies against Murdoch. I can protect what is mine, and I have no cares or worries about your brothers. Don't mistake me for one of the good guys, Skinner." 

Skinner shrugged, "I didn't mistake your intent or your history. I simply thought to risk that you cared enough for Alex. Perhaps I was wrong. In any case, if you are not an ally then you are an enemy. I do not travel with enemies." 

"You are a fool, Skinner. I need not be your enemy. I simply find no reason to turn on Murdoch. It is not a reason to take Fox from my mate!" He was pacing now, his irritation clear. "I will give you my word that I will not aid Murdoch in any way." He smiled to himself then. Skinner would surely accept that. He had to. He could not face the heartbreak taking Alex from Fox would cause. When he had first taken him he had not cared. Alex had simply been something he wanted to own. As his mate, he now deserved as much care as possible. 

"I see. But you will not help me keep him at bay, or to destroy him?" 

Garren shook his head, the silky hair sliding forward. "If he attacks this group then I will aid you in... " 

"I need an ally, Garren. If you are not going to be one, then I assure you I do not need your help in protecting this camp. Take Alex and go." Skinner walked away, only to bump into Antonio who had sought them out. The two ascendants shared a look, inscrutable. 

"Don't push me, Skinner, I know full well that your Fox will not be pleased with this either," Garren growled. 

Skinner turned and let Garren feel his displeasure. Red eyes glared into topaz and Garren was pushed back a few steps by the simple power of Skinner's thoughts. "No, Garren, don't push me. I give you Alex because I can't afford more enemies and I must think of the millions who scream for protection. But, I will not abide someone near me who will not lift a hand to help me. I know that Fox will hate this! I hate this. Do you think I _want_ to lose Alex? But I need your help." 

Garren was incredulous. "Do you realize what I am? I slaughter humans, or have you forgotten this? Those humans scream for protection from _my_ kind. The pack hunts, Skinner. They always have, they always will. Murdoch understands this, embraces it. You would seek to end it. Because I have care for my human mate does not make me an ideal ally. I will not forbid the pack from hunting and know that you will seek to end it. I cannot allow that. The pack is my responsibility every bit as much as Alex is." 

Skinner drew a deep breath. Garren was actually sounding reasonable. It was the first time the pack leader had spoken as if to an equal, as if he were really trying to get Skinner to understand. "You are correct, but I don't seek to control the world, Garren. Just to make sure that there are places of safety... always." 

"A balance," Antonio offered, his voice without inflection. He knew this was the way, but was not overly excited by it. 

"Yes," Skinner nodded. "Balance and safety." 

"Places of safety from things like _me,_ " Garren insisted. 

Skinner sighed. It was more than true. "But, your pack is not attacking now... nowhere in my protection." 

"Because they are frightened of your strength," Garren explained. 

"So they go outside my protection to hunt?" Skinner asked, his voice deceptive in its casualness. 

"Yes," Garren growled before he realized what he had said. "So you are willing to let the pack roam off your lands? As if the people there do not need protection?" 

"I cannot protect... was not _meant_ to protect everyone, Garren. That is what the balance is. It is the natural way. For every force there must be an equal and opposing force. I seek only to stop Murdoch from unbalancing everything as is his desire." 

Garren looked away. "I will think on it, Ascendant. It seems a fool's agreement. We are at cross-purposes. But I will think on it." 

"That is all I ask for the moment." 

"I give no promises," Garren warned. 

"I'll give you one," Skinner said slowly, quietly, but with iron force. "I will not let you stay if you decide against me." 

"If you can even get the pack to go against Murdoch, that is," Antonio put in, unable to stay his ire a moment longer. He felt as if he should have some part in this discussion, even if it were a very small part. 

"The pack will do as I command, Ascendant," Garren snarled. "I go to Alex now. You will go to Fox?" This last bit he directed toward Skinner, dismissing Antonio without a second glance. 

Skinner nodded, wanting nothing more than to scream that Garren could not touch a hair on Alex's head, knowing that Garren would do much more than that. But he remained silent. 

"You give him Alex and he does not even agree to help us?" Antonio asked incredulously when Garren disappeared into the darkness. He was tempted to simply disappear with both Alex and Dana and be damned the consequences. But he was reluctantly convinced that Skinner was at least trying for the correct balance. He only wished the wolf could be bought with some other toy. Not the lovely Alex. But again, perhaps the wolf would share where Skinner would not. He already seemed more than willing to share Alex with Fox. 

"He will agree," Skinner sighed. 

"How do you know?" 

"Because everything depends on it. He must and that is it." 

In the shadows nearby, unnoticed, Baku stood. He was well pleased by the conversation, but not as certain as Skinner that things would go well. He knew how to spur the pack leader on if he decided not to take up Skinner up on his offer. 

He would simply suggest to the young Alex that he could somehow harm Murdoch were he to call to him. Of course, once the pretty, green-eyed man called to him, Murdoch would come and take him. It would probably take Garren awhile to rescue him, but Murdoch would effectively become Garren's enemy. In fact, nothing would assure that more than the pretty mate being taken. There would be nowhere for Murdoch to hide. He would have to kill every wolf on Earth to end the war that would blow over him like no storm on Earth. 

He didn't feel the slightest remorse when he considered what Alex would endure in Murdoch's embrace. It was true to say that the good of the many outweighed the good of the few. Far outweighed. It was also true that, changed now like Walter's FBI Agent, Alex might very well like what Murdoch did to him. Might like it quite a bit. 

It was irrelevant in any case. The alliance must be forged. It must be. And it must be made strong. Perhaps he would whisper in Alex's ear, come what may. 

He slid back into the scrub bushes and silently made his way back to the Dorl's camp. 

* * *

**Salmon Falls, CA  
West of Santa Rosa   
Day Nineteen   
Hour 2345**

Mulder woke with the distinct feeling that something was wrong. His breath was catching as if waking from a frightening dream and his pulse raced. Immediately he was aware of Alex beside him, gently breathing and some measure of his unease was leveled. Alex was all right. He could make out Alex's features by the light of the lamps lit outside the tent and he smiled a bit to himself. If Alex knew how young and vulnerable he looked while sleeping, he would surely never want to sleep again. 

The sense of unease grew again and he immediately thought of Scully. Was she safe? Surely Antonio would keep her close, but Scully was independent if nothing else. Maybe something had happened to her. The idea that maybe something akin to his experience with Mikhail or even worse, Murdoch, should happen to her appalled him, made him almost physically ill. 

Suddenly the need to find her, to make sure she was safe was too compelling. More compelling than the heat of Alex beside him. He sat up and began to look for his clothes, quietly so as not to disturb Alex. So sure was he that he was silent that when Alex spoke he jumped a bit. 

"What are you doing, baby?" 

He shook his head and then patted Alex's thigh, trying to ignore how good the muscled flesh felt under his hand. "Don't worry, just go back to sleep. I'm going to go find Scully... have a chat... shoot the breeze. Partner stuff." 

Alex chuckled a bit. "And here I thought I was your partner now." 

Mulder smiled. "You are definitely my _partner_ but, well, Scully is my partner." 

"I know," Alex assured, with a feline yawn and stretch that captivated Mulder and, for an instant, made him forget all about his intention to find Scully. "I was teasing. I don't have a problem with your relationship with Scully, Fox. She's been a better friend to you all these years then anyone else." 

Mulder nodded. "I'll be back soon." 

"You better." 

"I will." 

"I'll get cold," Alex sighed, stretching again, this time letting one hand trace down his torso; the tips of his fingers grazing the dark hair that grew just below his belly button. 

"Very soon. If I can warm you up when I get back," Mulder affirmed, his voice gone husky with desire. He had to swallow several times as his eyes made out the slow movements of Alex's hand. Wanting to beg Alex to put on a show for him. Hungry for the sight of Alex's strong hand toying with himself, to see those narrow hips pump up to the rhythm of Alex's fist. He licked his lips quickly. 

"That is the whole point of me saying it," Alex purred, arching his back a bit, the movement thrusting his hips up lazily. "I want you to think of ways to warm me up." 

"I did get that, babe," Mulder chuckled, the beating rhythm of his heart beginning to pound most predominantly in his groin. He stood, pulling on his jeans, his every move watched by Alex who sighed in pleasure at the sight. 

"You're so beautiful, Fox." His voice still held a certain amazement caused by the sheer fact that Fox was with him at all. He felt a heaviness grow in his groin, a steady thrumming that made him part his legs slightly. So like his Fox, Alex realized with a grin. Parting his legs wide whenever he was aroused. Little slut. His little slut, Alex amended with a silent growl. It wouldn't take much to get Fox on his hands and knees, begging to be fucked. He grew completely hard at the image. 

Mulder shook his head. "You are seriously mirror challenged, babe. You really are." 

Alex laughed a bit. Fox said the oddest things. "Why is that?" He asked, while still running his fingers around his lower belly, teasing the now wet head of his cock in the darkness, hearing in his mind, Fox's voice, whimpering, begging. God he smelled so good. So good. 

"I'll tell you later, after I check in with Scully," Mulder promised. There was still that feeling, the-little-hairs-on- the-back-of- his-neck-rising feeling of something off... something wrong. 

"I can hardly wait," Alex sighed. "But, what if I am too cold then to listen?" 

"Oh," Fox pretended to ponder while he put on his shoes. "It does tie in with why I will love to warm you up. Yes, it definitely ties in." 

Alex watched as Fox put on shoes, narrowing his eyes as Fox winced from the pain in his abused nipples. "Fox." 

Hazel eyes raised to his while hands still attended to the lacing of straps. "Yes?" 

"Don't wander far." 

Irritation flashed on Fox's face and he tugged on the laces of the shoes a bit harder then needed. "I do not intend to _wander_ off like some child, Krycek." 

Alex raised a brow, unrepentant, secretly thrilled to be Krycek again. Fox ruffled so prettily. "Good." 

"Unless Scully isn't nearby," Fox finished with a challenging raising of brows. 

"Don't wander far, no matter what," Alex repeated. "Or did you not want me to get rest?" 

Fox took a steady breath, calming himself at the obvious threat of accompaniment. "I'll be okay, Alex. I'm not going anywhere." 

"Good," Alex repeated, not feeling the slightest guilt. Fox needed a keeper. He didn't expect a reply and wasn't surprised when, after pulling on a loose-fitting T-shirt, Fox left without another word. He lay there for another moment or two and decided to get up as well. He was hungry. Fox couldn't expect him not to eat. 

Mulder saw Scully sitting on a large log near the small fire that had been lit for ambience more so than heat. Space heaters sat around the camp, their plugs uselessly trailing behind them, attached to nothing. Yet the small devices glowed red with heat. He felt a chill at that, another reminder that things weren't the same, would never be the same. 

A sudden panic overwhelmed him. They were, all of them, concubines now. Did it matter that Skinner was noble, handsome and gentle? Did he have a choice? He knew that it was irrelevant. All of his concerns were. He had to start thinking in the here and now. That was what he needed Dana for. She would ground him, make him face reality. He couldn't help but feel a bit of envy; she was perfectly content with the situation. 

Though looking at her now, she seemed anything but content. Her lips were pursed and her brows were raised to the limit as she sat, staring at her clenched fists. Antonio was walking away into the darkness and he felt one moment of guilty glee. Things weren't as peachy as could be after all. 

He sat down beside her, expecting her to cheer a little at his presence, feeling a cocky assurance that she would smile for him, if not for the interloper. 

She didn't. She only looked more distressed to see him. Her eyes opened a bit wider and her lips parted only to slap closed in a straight, ungenerous line. 

He frowned, "What is it, Scully? What has he done?" 

She shook her head to indicate that Antonio was not to blame, but Mulder was not ready to let it go. "You look like someone fed your adopted dog to... sorry, that wasn't really what I meant... " 

"It isn't Antonio, Mulder. It's Skinner and that damn wolf!" 

Mulder moved his head back in surprise. "Garren? He's here? Are they fighting? Is Skinner... Walter... is he okay?" Mulder was moving to rise, his heart beginning to beat out a steady tattoo of fear. 

"No, they aren't fighting. They are probably in godly agreement about what should happen to us mere mortals... Mulder!" she gasped, finally recognizing that he had made a comment about her dearly departed dog. "You remembered some more!" 

"I remember everything, Scully. Down to the fish... God help the little guys now. They have to be dead by now, don't you think?" 

She smiled then, a radiant smile, one that he rarely saw. She grabbed him in a hug and held him tight. "Oh, Mulder, that's wonderful!" 

He wrapped his arms about her in return and grinned against her neck at how, even in her exuberance, she was careful not to disturb his stitches. He wondered, as he had so often in the past, why it couldn't have been her that he loved. Now of course, he wouldn't give Alex up for anything... Skinner, well he was a definite pleasing confusion, if he would but simply leave Alex alone. 

Alex stepped out of the tent and frowned a bit to see the two embracing friends. He knew they were close, but the embrace was not ending and he scowled. His attention was taken away from the overly friendly friends by the appearance of a large man to his left. He stepped back and though he was immediately alert to possible danger, the only thought that passed through his head was that Fox had just trotted past the huge man without the slightest knowledge of his presence. How the hell had he lived so long? He truly did need a keeper! 

The man stood then and Alex narrowed his eyes, recognizing him for a wolf as soon as the man's eyes reflected the firelight in an amber beam. Only animals had such reflection. Humans did not. The effect was almost horrifying on a man who looked so human otherwise. It looked like two coins alight, molten inside the sockets. 

"Another wolf? Jesus, do you fuckers do nothing but breed?" 

"I am Akael. I will be your protector." 

"Oh shit! Well just stay out of my way. I don't need any help... " 

"Do you need correction, I am certainly willing to inform my Garren," Akael growled, unused to such contrary, undisciplined encounters. Even the Garren as a pup was obedient to a certain extent. Disobedient, weaker charges endangered themselves. 

"If you feel the need, go right ahead," Alex sneered and turned to saunter away, not even questioning his comfort around the beast he knew could rip him from groin to sternum without blinking an eye. He had already accepted, though not consciously, that Garren would never sanction any harm to befall him from one of his pack. 

"You will be an interesting charge," Akael finally said as Alex made his way to the delicious male who smelled slightly of blood. That one, like all changed humans must, looked as if he needed personal care, to be taken away from all others and kept. Preferably kept close. Close enough to lick and to taste. Close enough to hear the heart race in passion as he was taken hour after hour after hour. Sweet, changed human. 

But Akael was too old for such things. Not too old to enjoy them, but too old to be carried away by them. 

He stayed for love of his young Garren. He would stay as long as it took for the pack leader to adjust to the new world and to having a mate to care for, and then he would seek rest. He followed the mate and had to appreciate his beauty. Not so changed as the other temptation, but beautiful still. He stood a discreet distance away from where the mate had stopped. The three males standing near the mate stared up at him nervously. Akael thought it amusing. To these little men the mate was dangerous. Humans were very amusing. They were afraid of Alex, but not of him. He who could tear their skin from their flesh layer by layer and tear out their hearts, all before they even knew he had moved. Yes, very amusing. 

He chuckled, remembering the old Garren's mate, Dani, saying that humans were the most interesting part of life. The old Garren had laughed at her, something he had come to regret in the cold nights ahead, but Akael had agreed. Humans were interesting. 

When the pretty mate threw him a glare, he shook his head and tried to be patient. The Garren would have to discipline this one, for he could not, not without express permission to do so. And judging by the level of devotion Garren was already showing, he didn't assume that permission would be forthcoming. 

After all, Garren knew first-hand how well Akael could discipline. 

He sensed his leader's ire and confusion then and almost went to him, old protective habits were hard to break, but he stayed by his new charge and let things progress with the ascendants and Garren. 

Mulder pulled away from Scully, smiling a bit. He saw Alex out of the corner of his eye and he had to grin. The bastard really didn't trust him at all. Their eyes met and Alex looked supremely indifferent, his jade eyes direct and untroubled. Daring Mulder to comment on his being outside the tent. Mulder grinned at him. "Brat," he mouthed. 

Alex smiled suddenly, happy that Mulder wasn't disturbed. He didn't care about the wolf Akael any more. He grinned at Frohike and patted Langly on the shoulder. Langly gave a muffled shriek but held his ground with irrefutable courage as Alex made his way to Mulder's side. He had had enough private time with Scully. He straddled the log behind where Mulder sat and bent to kiss his ear. "I was hungry," he explained. 

"I see," Mulder chuckled. "It had nothing to do with being over-protective?" 

Krycek grinned, boyishly, his eyes twinkling in the warmth of Fox's affection. He kissed Mulder's cheek, right above his mole. "Nah, I don't care what happens to you." 

Mulder leaned his head back to look into Alex's eyes. "You don't?" His voice was soft, tempting. As if his words were meant to be heard only by Alex, though he didn't bother to whisper. 

Alex nuzzled him, his nose cool on Fox's face. "Unh unh. Not at all." He wrapped his arms about Fox's waist and squeezed. "Why would I care about an old, ugly mud fence like you? A boring one too." 

Mulder laughed and forgot completely about Scully, the Gunmen, the trees, the wolves... everything faded away until all he saw was Alex. Beautiful, loyal Alex. "God, I love you, Alex." His words were fierce, his eyes moist with emotion. He would cheerfully kill for Alex, he knew then. 

Alex squeezed him tighter. "You're damned right you do." 

"And you kinda like me a little too," Mulder insisted, opening his mouth so Alex could place a wet kiss there and sighing as Alex took advantage and did just that. 

When Alex pulled back and began to grin at Scully, Mulder elbowed him. 

"I _said_ 'and you kinda like me a little too!'" Mulder scolded. 

Alex laughed and shook his head. "But, I don't." When Mulder started to pull away in a pretended huff, Alex wrapped his arms tighter around Mulder's waist. "You know I love you. More than anything." His voice was no longer teasing. It was husky, but sincere. His words a prayer at a sacred altar. A benediction. An oath. 

Mulder believed him and favored him with a beautiful smile. 

It made Alex want to cry. 

Scully felt like screaming... like weeping. They were so in love it was painful to watch. They glowed. She knew it was a silly, romantic thing to say, but they did. They were staring into each other's eyes and she knew that the camp could catch fire and they would not know. She had never seen anything as tender as Alex's expression when he stared at Fox. Nothing. Ever. It was as if Fox was the entire world and Alex would have it no other way. And Fox? He looked happier than she had ever seen him, even in the midst of all this insanity. 

And she would have to tell them something that would tear that happiness away. Garren was going to take Alex away. 

* * *

**Washington D.C.  
Penthouse   
Day Nineteen   
Hour 2030**

Murdoch had taken a shower. Not cold, for he had slaves to tend to his desire should he require that. No, the shower was hot, and he thought of Fox's eyes when he had torn the marks of another from his tender, sweet nipples. Such desire had shone there. Oh, one had to look beyond the pain and fear, Murdoch mused. But, desire was there as well. Foxling remembered the pleasure of Murdoch's bed. How many times had he cried out for more? How many times had his pretty lips parted on the pleading that would bring Murdoch close? 

Too many times to discount. 

Foxling belonged to him. As surely as did everything else. Was he not the most changed? Yes. It was settled. As the one true Ascendant it was only right that he receive the greatest gifts from the change. The green-eyed Alex had been there trying to interfere. That one Garren claimed. 

If he could take Alex then he could woo Garren. He frowned. It was certainly unseemly for him to have to woo that which was his by right of history. Wolves were the perfect tool though and so he must include the sweet Alex in his plans. 

Still, it irritated him to no end that Garren had dared defy him. Had dared claim Alex. It was he who should command. He who always was obeyed. Hadn't Garren always obeyed? It was infuriating when he considered. Perhaps instead of wooing, Garren needed to be disciplined. Brought to heel. 

He allowed his foxling alikes to dress him and he went to meet with a representative from a man who claimed to be Foxling's father. 

He thought of bringing Fox's mother to the meeting, but decided she would rather dine alone as was her want to do. He instead had several videos sent to her for her enjoyment. She had every luxury, every convenience, and still she stared at him with eyes that even he found cold. He liked her. 

Even had he not, she would have been treated well. She had given him Fox. She was royalty, even if she didn't care. 

As he walked to the room in which the messenger waited, he considered the failure to find Walter Skinner's parents. They were, he assumed, dead. It was another irritation in a string of like circumstances. The man needed to be put in his place. Destroyed. 

A smile lit his features when he considered the pig on a pike that graced the balcony of his penthouse. The head of the African ascendant who had defied him. One day, Skinner, he mused. One day. 

* * *

**Salmon Falls, CA  
West of Santa Rosa   
Day Twenty   
Hour 0020**

"Mulder, I have to tell you something," Scully muttered. When Mulder did not seem to hear her she placed one, shaking hand on his arm. "Mulder!" 

He turned to her, his attention now fully focussed on her, a worried frown slowly taking over his smile in increments of concern. "What is it, Scully?" He raised his brows as he remembered her first words to him. "Skinner and Garren?" 

Alex tensed behind him and Mulder heard his breath catch in his throat. 

"Yes. Mulder, you and Alex... you should just go now. Just get some things and go." Even as Scully said it she knew she wouldn't want him to go. It was too dangerous... even for men like Krycek. 

"What is it, Scully?" Alex asked soothing Fox by little strokes on his arms and small rubs of his cheek onto Fox's. 

"Skinner is... he is... " Scully looked away. 

"What?" Alex and Fox sad together. 

"What is it?" Byers asked, as all three Gunmen moved close. 

"Giving you to me, cat," Garren said from the edge of the camp. The firelight lit his golden hair and for an instant every member of camp was struck by his otherworldly beauty. 

Until his words were dissected and understood. 

"What?" Mulder gasped. "What did you say? What did he say, Scully?" 

"You heard me, little Fox," Garren said casually. Deceptively so, for he was watching Alex's reaction carefully. 

"He... he wouldn't," Alex whispered. Struck by what he knew to be true. "He... he wouldn't." 

Mulder rose, his eyes burning, a forest afire. "You are lying. Skinner wouldn't do that!" 

"Mulder, he did," Scully cried, coming to her feet. Fear that Mulder would launch himself at the big wolf moving her to grab his arm protectively. 

"No!" Mulder barked, shaking off her hand. "No, he wouldn't!" 

"He did," Garren assured him. "Alex is my mate, little Fox. You would do well to realize it now." 

The fact that his voice was devoid of taunting, or any other indication that he was bragging, simply made Fox tremble even more in anger. Garren acted like he felt almost sorry for him. 

"He wasn't Skinner's to give, wolf man!" Frohike glared. "He's his own person, and I didn't hear him say he wanted to leave us... to leave Mulder." The little man was pumped up with rage as he looked around the camp. "Did anyone else hear Krycek say that he wanted to leave?" 

The other two Gunmen shook their heads. 

"I'm not leaving," Alex hissed. "I don't care what Skinner may or may not have said." He stood and wrapped his arms back around Fox's waist. 

"Skinner did _not_ do anything of the sort," Mulder insisted. "He didn't." 

"I did." The voice from the shadows startled them all, save for Garren and the older wolf who seemed incredibly bored by the events. 

Mulder shook his head. "No. No you didn't." 

"I did, Fox. I had to." 

"It was for the best. For everything," Antonio added as he took his place at Skinner's side. 

"The hell you say," Mulder spat. 

"You... you gave me to him?" Alex whispered. There was a wealth of hurt in his voice and Skinner looked away. 

Mulder turned to Alex and touched his face in reaction to the hurt tone. His anger burned brighter still when he saw that lost little boy yet again on Alex's face. "Baby. Baby... " He had no words to make Skinner's betrayal less. He could only say. "I won't give you up." 

Alex was opening his mouth to reply when he was plucked from Fox's embrace and held close to Garren. "You will not hurt any more, Alex. I won't forbid you to see Fox." 

Mulder moved to rip Alex from Garren's embrace, but felt himself go slack, frozen, unable to move as Garren cradled Alex to him. Blue topaz met Fox's wide, furious eyes. 

"When he has accepted this, then I bring him to you. For now, this is too much stress," Garren said as he turned to leave. 

Frohike lunged at Garren and was immediately batted aside by the older wolf. Alex cried out in anger to see his friend fall to the ground and Garren turned his head toward Akael who stood over the still furious little man. 

"Don't," he ordered. 

It was enough to make Akael turn, forgetting Frohike's attack, and follow. 

Alex wouldn't scream or struggle. It would be too humiliating. Garren paused beside Skinner. "I take him just a short ways away. Tomorrow perhaps he will spend time with Fox. Is that acceptable for you? 

"It is," Skinner husked. He wanted to avoid Alex's eyes, but felt he should give Alex the chance to show his anger, his hurt. 

When he met Alex's eyes there was no expression at all. 

Absolutely nothing. 

He was the cold assassin once more. 

When the wolves faded into the darkness with Alex, Skinner released Mulder from his hold. 

Immediately Mulder made to go after him. He was frozen again, this time tears made their way down his face. At least part of him was not controlled by the ascendant. 

When Skinner released him again he tried to lunge at Skinner. "How could you do this?" Mulder cried, as he was grabbed and held tight in Skinner's arms. 

"I'm sorry, Fox," Skinner whispered against Mulder's fragrant hair. "So sorry. I love him, too." 

"Bullshit!" Mulder lashed out and won his freedom only to try and follow Alex again. 

"Mulder," Scully commanded her voice firm, incontrovertible after Mulder had been frozen and released in a horrible series that seemed would never end. A scene that all the members of camp were watching with some level of despair. 

He turned to her, his expression showing his mutiny. 

"Stop. Just stop. You can't change this." When her words settled, they both stared at one another. "You can't fix this, Mulder." 

"Scully, I... what do you want me to do? I can't let him take Alex. I love... " 

"Wake up, Mulder. Do you think this is the same world we were in just a month ago? Do you think I want this? Do you think the Rat... Krycek does? None of us chose this, but you can't fight... not now." 

Mulder felt a hand on his arm and looked into Antonio's dark gaze. "Skinner did not do this to hurt you, or Alex. It wasn't about you at all." 

"Antonio," Skinner warned. 

"No. He should know," Antonio growled. "Right now, as we speak, Murdoch has the head of one of our brothers. He has him as a trophy. This man, this ascendant who stood, like Skinner to give shelter to the people of his country. To defend against Murdoch's forces that would come in the night to feed on them." 

At Mulder's mutinous expression Antonio sighed. "Murdoch will continue until only the ascendants who aligned with him stand, and then the world will be his. Do you understand what that means, Fox?" 

Fox frowned, too angry to care. "So what does that have to do with selling my lover? Is that the kind of world you two are fighting for? Where slavery exists? I think I might prefer Murdoch's. At least he is honest about what he wants." 

"You don't mean that," Skinner said softly. "You wouldn't be able to watch as millions were slaughtered." 

Mulder wouldn't look at him. Didn't want to hear the truth of those words. 

"People are being gathered together in herds, Fox," Antonio continued. The old that survived the opening are being burned. The infirm are being fed to the beasts. The beautiful are being brought to breeding camps. They must worship Murdoch's followers, abase themselves in front of their family, their friends, in order to survive. In D.C. Murdoch has hundreds of slings set up in which men and women are set to be tortured, publicly. Children are put in rooms with hungry dogs... for the amusement of the Pure bloods. There are things that hunt that would make those that have come for you seem docile." He paused as Mulder seemed to pale. 

"That's enough, Antonio," Skinner growled, seeing Fox's pretty face go white. 

"No, it isn't. Do you remember when we arrived in Fort Bragg? The old woman who only had a bloody cane to remind her of the husband that wolves had eaten? Do you remember the faces of the survivors? Do you remember their faces after Skinner took control and forced the hunters out?" When Mulder refused to answer. He grabbed him and shouted in his face, "Do you remember?" 

Skinner took Fox from Antonio. "It isn't his responsibility, Antonio. It is ours." 

"Yes, but does he understand that responsibility? Does he think you gave Alex away for laughs? Does he realize the sacrifice you made?" 

"Antonio, that is quite enough," Scully said quietly. 

The firelight illuminated the faces of all the remaining in the group. Maggie Scully was wiping tears from her face and Frohike was staring moodily into the fire. Langly and Byers were looking at Antonio with as much hostility as they did Skinner. 

Mulder looked sick. Both Antonio and Skinner were looking at Dana Scully. She was furious. "You. Both of you," she hissed. "You," she said, pointing to Skinner, "you could have warned them... could have prepared them and explained your reasoning. You say you want to help the world? Fine, but start by treating Mulder like a human being, not some reluctant child you need to lead around by the hand. And you," she growled, turning cerulean fire on Antonio. "You act as if this is Mulder's fault! Would you have given me up so easily to save the world? Would you even care? Because Mulder isn't a God like you two, you think he doesn't have feelings? To Hell with you both!" She grabbed Mulder's arm. "Let your godlike compassion keep you both warm tonight. Come on, Mulder," she hissed, propelling her still stunned partner away and toward the tent she had staked out as her own. 

A few seconds after the two partners disappeared into the tent, several articles were ejected quite violently. All Antonio's. 

Skinner and Antonio blinked in surprise. They felt the eyes of the rest of the group on them and though they knew the decision had been correct, they felt the censure almost too heavily. 

"You shouldn't be able to sell people," Frohike growled, before getting up abruptly, wiping suspicious moisture from his face. "If I could, I'd go after Krycek and bring him back to Mulder. But I am just a mere human and so I can't." With one last glare, he stormed off toward another tent. The other two gunmen nodded in perfect agreement, as if they had said the words and they turned to follow Frohike away from the light. 

Maggie sighed, shook her had a bit and made her way too, silently toward the small tent that was her own. 

"They don't understand. They can't. They are only humans," Antonio complained. 

Skinner wanted to disagree, but it was true. They were only humans. Not able to see all that he and Antonio could see. Not able to hear the screams of the tortured. He wished he could simply be human again as well. 

* * *

**McClellan Air Force Base  
Sacramento, CA   
Day Twenty   
Hour 0950**

"He isn't reasonable. The clone likes personal attention," Dr. Jack Morson complained to his fellow scientist as he watched the clone touch everything in the room that had been prepared for his use. 

The clone turned and held out a clock toward the two scientists. "Time," he proclaimed proudly. "Time, time." 

"He is so adorable too," Dr. Mark Namble added, his voice petulant and adoring at the same time. 

"Indeed. So proud of every accomplishment," Morson agreed. 

They both sighed as the clone set the clock down and picked up a hardbound book. He frowned a bit, the full lips pursing with his concentration. "Book." 

"Very good!" the two scientists crowed, startling the clone, but causing him to smile happily. 

A full, lower lip was drawn in slowly, nibbled on to a chorus of sighs as he flipped open the book he held, but he was thinking of what the two men had said. "Good? Very good. Good boy?" he asked looking down toward his now covered crotch. 

"Oh Lord," Dr. Morson moaned. "So responsive and eager to please. Why are we just standing here? Surely it is a confusion to the sweet thing." 

"You were right," Dr. Namble agreed as the clone seemed confused by his now flaccid state, "he is unreasonable. We wouldn't hurt the dear boy." 

"God forbid! We only want to make him happy and well-adjusted." 

"See how he smiles at us? He truly does want us to play some more." 

The clone set down the book and knelt to look under the bed. He shook his head when he found nothing and moved on to the next item. 

"He certainly is curious," Dr. Morson sighed. "He will find out all about... sex soon enough. Why not now?" 

"It isn't like he is a child. He is fully matured." The clone knocked into table and watched as a glass figurine of a porpoise almost fell to the floor, without trying to stop it, having no idea that things would break. 

"Careful, little Fox," Dr. Morson cautioned. 

The clone stooped suddenly and looked confused. "Fox?" 

"Yes that is your name sweetheart," Namble informed him, unable to prevent himself from drawing near. 

The clone shook his head. "Not Fox. Human. Male." 

The scientists chuckled together and moved close to pet the frowning clone. "It is a name, an appellation, sweetheart. Your name is Fox. You aren't a fox," Dr. Morson was kind enough to explain while he pushed a lock of hair out of wide, hazel eyes. 

"Well, my generation would have called you a fox," Dr. Namble said. 

"Don't confuse him," Morson barked. 

The clone tilted his head, processed the information, nodded and turned away from the two men to continue exploring his world with boundless enthusiasm. He picked up a shoe and smelled it, shook his head and wrinkled his nose. 

"It's a leather shoe," Namble explained. When the clone smiled at him, he was forced to move closer, to touch the full mouth, to trace the mole with a finger. 

"Face," the clone supplied, thinking to touch the doctor's face. Realizing for the first time in its young life that touch seemed a part of communication. 

"You see, Morson?" Namble panted. "He simply wants us to make him feel good, to spread him out on the bed and take him to heaven. He knows! Look at him, he is practically begging for it." 

The clone blinked and moved toward the silent television, unaware that he was apparently on the brink of begging the two men to pleasure him. "Oven... no." He shook his head resolutely. "What is this?" 

"He asked a question. A real question," Dr. Morson exclaimed, for one moment his scientific mind aflame with the reality of their success. This clone was getting off to a great start, despite having an odd genetic structure. Odd? Hell, one never before seen in nature. One he had it on good authority that the aliens had never seen in all their millennium of conquering. 

They were changed from normal humans somehow. Beautifully so. 

* * *

**McClellan Air Force Base  
Sacramento, CA   
Day Twenty   
Hour 1845**

Bill Mulder watched carefully the men handling his sons. They weren't really his sons, but they were. The same feeling of unreality that he felt upon seeing the first clone of his daughter washed over him. Of course his son wasn't dead like his daughter had been so after that first successful cloning, but even still it was odd. 

They looked like his son. They were inspecting everything around them and it made him chuckle a bit. How like his son. So curious. Too curious. Beautiful too. He felt proud that he had created something so lovely. He frowned as a clone stumbled and stubbed his toe on one of the cots. The instant tears and hurt look on its face as it looked around in search of an answer to the sudden pain in his foot caused Bill to straighten his back sharply. 

The clone was whimpering and looking at the injured toe, poking a finger at the flap of skin it had damaged and looking to his curious brothers for assistance. 

Murdoch would teach them quickly about pain, he knew. It was for the betterment of the world. If he did not make some arrangement with Murdoch, then the aliens might well depart... without any clue as to how to power their technology. The world would be run by the ascendants... good or bad. 

It would be better for the world to have men who knew how to run things, run things. He smiled then. Yes, it was worth it. 

He watched as the other three clones gathered about their quieting brother and sit near him, unsure what to do to help him, but all staring at the offending toe with identical expressions of dismay. 

They had each other, Bill decided. 

"Get them ready. We leave as soon as possible." He didn't look at the older man he spoke to, but instead watched the four clones. "I want them to learn to clothe themselves, clean themselves and attend to themselves. They can practice speaking as well. But, make it a fast learning experience, Dr. Thomas, we leave in exactly thirty-six hours." 

Though there was no visible reaction to Bill's words the handlers and scientists alike were unsure they could perform such a feat. When Bill Mulder left he indicated that the young guard at the door attend him, leaving the men in the room to hurry to the clones in anticipation of a crash course on adult life. 

To the guard Bill held up one finger. "I want a full compliment of guards at this door at all times. No one is to touch these clones in an intimate way. Is that understood?" 

The guard nodded, rather confused as to why anyone would. "Of course not, sir." 

Bill knew the young guard had yet to be in the clones presence long enough to feel the effect, an effect even he wasn't immune to. It was only his sense of duty and the fact that the clones might as well be his own son that stayed his impulse to lie with one or more of them, to taste their sweet, soft flesh. To put his face in their crotches and lap hungrily. He was growing hard, iron hard. But, he walked away. They would be virgins when Murdoch took them. He didn't trust any of the handlers or the lovesick scientists to be as strong as he. 

"Shoot anyone who tries. Anyone." 

The guard nodded again, his brown eyes serious and intent. "Yes, sir." 

Bill made his leave and was already thinking of something else when the guard radioed in for backup. He was going to have to deal with Spender soon. A small smile curved his lips. He did enjoy sparring with his old friend. It was one constant in an otherwise unstable world. 

* * *

**Salmon Falls, CA  
West of Santa Rosa   
Day Twenty   
Hour 0020**

Garren set Alex down in the middle of a small clearing. The ground was hard and stony, as unforgiving as Alex's stare. Garren cared little for comfort, the hard ground was as good a bed as any, better if the moon was full and beautiful. It was waning now, the pull not so insistent, but enough to make a night outside preferable to one inside. His mate, however, might not be comfortable. 

He commanded that supplies be gathered... some sort of mat... perhaps a pillow. 

"You needn't look so despondent, Cat, you will see Fox tomorrow," Garren promised as he pulled Alex down with him, setting him on his lap like a child. Though he knew Alex would not be able to see him clearly in the darkness, he saw the jade eyes flash at him. For only a moment though was there the customary fire. Garren was uneasy to see that Alex's expression was devastated. He knew Alex would not reveal his emotions if he knew how well Garren could see him, so he said nothing to indicate that he could see the sorrow on the pretty face. Instead, he tried to assure him again. 

"Cat, I promise not to keep you from him." 

Alex shook his head and Garren realized why his mate was hurting. "It is because the ascendant gave you away? That he didn't fight for you? This is why you hurt?" 

The expression on Alex's face was one of utter surprise at Garren's perception and then anger. "What do you care? You got what you wanted? Don't pretend you give a shit. You are just like him... you think I am stupid enough to believe that you actually care!" 

"Cat, I could not leave you with him. You understand. You would not be happy. You are bonded to me now. You _have_ to be with me. You have felt this certainly." 

Alex tensed, but didn't try to draw out of Garren's embrace. He didn't even think of trying to leave those strong arms. It was somehow so comforting and so right to be held close to Garren, smelling the scent that was his alone. "I belong with Fox. You know it... I know it... Skinner, the traitor, knows it." 

Garren chuckled as Alex turned to put his face in the crook of Garren's neck as he spoke those feisty words, snuggling closer and sighing as he did so. His actions did not match his defiant words. 

"You are where you belong now, Cat." He kissed the top of Alex's head. "But, I will concede that your love for Fox is exceptional. All other attachments would have long since been buried in the passage of our bonding. That you still keen for him tells me this. This is why I will not allow him to be kept from you." 

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Alex grumbled. He was becoming uncomfortably aware that he was becoming stimulated by Garren's scent, that he was starting to imagine what the two of them could be doing. The memory of the field; of Garren, so beautiful in the moonlight, inside him. He moaned and shifted a bit on Garren's lap. 

Garren smelled Alex's arousal and was immediately aroused in response. "We are bonded now," he repeated pushing Alex back and sliding over him slowly. Growling as Alex moaned. "You feel it... the _need._ The scent of me driving you crazy-the thought of me... " 

Alex whimpered in response. His emotions a bitter turmoil. 

"It is the bonding-from the first night when I infected you with my spore," Garren assured him. 

Alex gasped, eyes wide in the darkness. "What?" 

"The spore that binds us all together as a pack-and binds our mates to us," Garren explained, smiling a bit as his pretty little cat looked as if he were close to spitting. "It is particularly, and deliciously, effective on humans." He bent and tongued the healed wound, the slide of his tongue over the spot making Alex cry out in sheer lust. "Here is where I put it, and here will always be erogenous for you, Alex." To prove it he slid his tongue, wet and hot, over the spot several times, making Alex forget all about spitting and made him purr instead. 

"You will never be free of it, my little mate. You see?" 

"Shut up, Garren, and just take off your clothes-take off mine-please," Alex pleaded-everything fading in importance with shameful speed-all his concerns, his hurt and even, for the moment, his need for Fox. Inside he cried out against such abandonment of that which he held most dear, but he was helpless in the wake of some incredible tide of lust for Garren. 

Spore. 

What did it matter for now? For now all he wanted was for Garren to show him how rough he could be, to take him in the dark, on the cold, hard ground. 

But Garren was kissing him gently, almost reverently. Stroking the column of Alex's throat with long, strong fingers. Testing the pulse there with the tip of his tongue. Nipping slightly with strong, white teeth, ever careful not to break the skin. Garren trailed his right hand down Alex's back while his left still attended the pretty face, stroking the black stubble on the angular jaw and tracing the darker brows. He captured Alex's mouth in a wet kiss, slow and gentle. 

"I will never give you up, Alex. No force on Earth could make me do that. I would as soon have every human slaughtered as give you up." 

Alex shivered at he husky promise. Garren would keep that vow too he knew. He felt the assault of tenderness as if it were a violent rape. If he could not even pretend that he had no choice, even while he was begging for more, then how could he ever look Mulder in the eyes again? 

"Not like this," he gasped as Garren's mouth slid smoothly down his throat in search of his erect nipples. "Please-oh God-Garren, not this way." 

Garren stilled, his mouth hovering above Alex's chest, his hands still cradling Alex's body, one beneath his back to keep the frail, human body off the rocky ground, the other under his head. His eyes glowed in the ambient light and for an instant Alex could see the contours of Garren's face in that strange blue light. Gas flame eyes. Burning blue. 

"What way is that, Cat?" Garren bent and nipped at the clothe-covered nipple, partially listening to the distant howls of pack members; their song was one of frustrated desire. The pack wanted to hunt, even if it meant hunting other hunters, tracking down and devouring anything that would bleed. He sent the majority of the pack away-toward hunting grounds. Akael, he knew, would not leave, nor would those that had been sent to fetch the items his mate would require. He didn't dwell in his happiness at seeing his old guardian, his focus was for his mate. With that he tuned out all but the sounds of Alex gasping, the sound of his thighs sliding together in anticipation. "What way, my sweet Alex?" 

"Gentle," Alex panted, feeling the incredible hardness of Garren's body, the sheer size of it, pressing down on him, but somehow not pressing him into the dirt. 

Garren could hear the desperation in Alex's voice. His mate was falling and trying desperately not to. 

"Take me as the wolf," he panted making Garren rub against him in a fury of desire. 

"No," Garren growled. "Not yet, Cat-not here. You aren't ready for that. I might hurt you without intention." 

"Please," Alex whispered, some wild need driving him to wrap himself around the massive beast that was Garren changed, anything save this gentle beast whose every touch broadcasted his adoration. 

"In time," Garren promised as he shredded Alex's clothes from him with hands that were suddenly claws. The scrape of them on Alex's flesh, gentle and yet eliciting fevered moans. "We have all the time in the world." And those words too were a promise. 

* * *

**Salmon Falls, CA  
West of Santa Rosa   
Day Twenty   
Hour 0030**

Scully stared at her partner, wondering at his sudden calm. The hazel eyes were narrowed in contemplation, but his expression did not reveal the studied concentration, some people insisted he looked dazed, not her, that he usually displayed when truly trying to solve a particularly devilish problem. She shifted on her thick, air mattress and let him think for a few more silent moments. 

"Mulder?" 

He looked at her and she realized that his calm, rather studied expression was in fact shock, a true daze. 

"Mulder, since this has begun we haven't had time to talk... so much... so much has happened since we returned from Berkley. I mean we have just been bowled over by events and haven't really even stopped to consider what they mean-or better yet-if they can be challenged." 

Mulder's expression changed a bit, he was listening to her intently. 

"We were closing in on The Mediggo... we were," she insisted. 

"We were too late, Scully. In case you haven't seen the paper, the score was Mediggo seven, world zip," Mulder said with only an obligatory sarcasm. 

She smiled gently. "Yes, I did notice that. But, my point is this. If we were able to uncover something before... say a weakness... maybe we could have stopped it." 

"So? What good does that do us now?" 

"So, maybe a weakness is a weakness. Whether the change-or whatever happened or not. It isn't like you to just accept things you realize." 

He almost grinned then. "I do remember that from a hundred years ago." 

She sighed. "Okay, so maybe Skinner and Antonio and these other-never before seen of brothers are the only ones who can confront Murdoch, but maybe not. Why can't we talk to Baku ourselves? Why are we letting the game play out while we sit on the sidelines?" 

"You want to take charge, Scully?" Fox was incredulous. It wasn't like they were the same-as if anything were the same. 

"What? You like being the little woman?" Her voice was quiet, but her eyes were a challenge. 

He frowned. "No! Of course not, but I-" 

"But nothing. I am not fool enough to suggest we go off on a fact-finding mission on our own, but dammit, we can at least speak to Baku. Understand this thing. Find out what role he plays." 

"Yeah and maybe I will even wear that damn medallion he gave for me to wear. He gave one to Alex as well." At the mention of Alex's name, Fox's eyes dipped to the floor of the tent. "I didn't trust the old man enough to wear it, but he swears it will keep whatever is changed about us from showing." 

She brightened. "You think they work?" 

"I don't know, Scully. I tossed them in a bag somewhere. Why?" 

"They could help us." 

He stared into her determined eyes and realized what she meant. If they could pass as normal people, they would get into less trouble... especially in the area that Skinner was protecting. He smiled, the old investigative juices percolating up from the artesian well of his curiosity. "We could even... wander... a bit in a reconnaissance mission to find Baku." 

She pursed her lips and tried to look disapproving. "Sneak out?" 

He nodded. "Maybe find out something about the bastard that has Alex." 

She met his gaze and the two sat in silence for a moment in perfect communication. 

"Then it's settled?" she asked. 

"Yes, just give me time to find the medallions. I think they are in one of the bags Alex grabbed when we left Fort Bragg. I think so anyway." 

She sighed. "Mulder, you shouldn't go get them tonight. Not tonight. Skinner will want to... to talk." 

"To hell with him," Mulder growled, surprised when Scully did indeed look disapproving. "What? You saw what he did! He _gave_ Alex away!" 

"Yes, I saw. But I also know he wouldn't have ever done such a thing without a good reason. Not," she held off Mulder's protest, "that I agree with the way it was done. But, Mulder neither of us really knows what the hell is going on. But I do know this. Skinner has never seemed the type to do something out of spite. He is honorable-" 

"Scully, he gave Alex away! Are you getting that? He gave him away to something that rips humans apart without a second thought. A werewolf for God's sake!" 

She sighed and settled down on her sleeping bag. "I know. I don't understand it either. I am just saying... " 

"That Skinner wouldn't do something like that? Well, he isn't exactly the same Skinner we knew is he? He is some sort of part of this. I still have yet to get a decent answer as to what he and Antonio were actually doing when they went to "close" things. I know he didn't _want_ to give Alex away, but the fact remains that he did. End of story." 

Scully stared at her partner for a long time before nodding. "Another reason not to go traipsing out right now to look for the medallions." 

"If not now, when?" Mulder asked. 

"Just before dawn. Maybe everyone will be asleep," she replied. "We should get some sleep ourselves." 

He looked incredulous. "Me? Sleep? With Alex out there being raped-" 

"We both know that isn't what is happening, Mulder," Scully cut in. "At least be honest with yourself about that. While you were gone, I hate to say it, but Alex was never far from Garren and he liked it that way." At Mulder's hurt look she hastened to add, "Of course he was going crazy for wanting you back, but-I don't know-he is attracted to Garren." 

Mulder recalled Alex's words at the river's edge, the intensity in his voice and eyes as he hissed that yes he did want Garren, that he did wonder when he would see him again. No, Alex wasn't being raped. He felt the wind go out of his sails. Would Alex even _want_ to come back? "Garren did something to Alex. I am almost certain," he mumbled. "It is the only thing that makes sense, Scully. I know he loves me." 

Scully nodded. "We will get to the bottom of it, Mulder. I promise. Now, please, let's try to rest." She patted the sleeping bag near to her, the one that would have been zipped up with hers to make one big sleeping bag should Antonio still had been welcome, but which was still only a solitary bag at the moment. 

Mulder crawled toward it. "I won't sleep," he warned as he slipped under the flap of the warm bag. 

"Just try," she wheedled turning her back on him and snuffing out the Coleman lantern. In the darkness she heard him disrobing, and the scent of him made her flush. She diligently suppressed the sudden desire and closed her eyes. 

Mulder heard her breath even out, the way she shifted one last time before sleep overtook her with the suddenness of the very drunk or very young. He had always envied that in her. She could stay up all night if she had too, but she could fall asleep on a dime. He was certain that he would be unable to sleep. 

Too much had occurred. There were too many questions-too many uncertainties-how could he ever sleep? 

The memory of Garren in the woods as the Schell burned-Alex's solicitous concern for the beautiful, deadly creature and the surety that Alex wanted Garren were stimulants that would not release his mind from the frenetic pace he was sure to be caught in. 

Still, despite his concerns, his body shut down. Sleep claimed him utterly. Cradled him in uneasy dreams and did not release him until fingers of light began to make their steady way from the eastern sky-pale fingers that scraped at the starlit blackness with such stealth that, though there was no true division between night and morning, within minutes the stars were banished and gray shadows grew from darkness. 

**Salmon Falls, CA  
West of Santa Rosa   
Day Twenty   
Hour 0325**

After orgasm came sanity, with sanity came regret. Lying atop Garren's body Alex shivered though not from the cold. Misinterpreting his shiver Garren made some small noise and shadows detached themselves from larger ones and Alex was startled to find two more wolves come upon them bearing things in their arms. Garren dismissed them with a look and set about making a place for Alex to sleep. He spread out several pads and blankets and lowered Alex onto them. 

"If you get cold in my arms, Cat, more blankets can be brought. If you hunger or thirst you need only say so and I will make sure you are satiated," Garren growled softly, nuzzling Alex's cheek with his full lips. 

Alex let himself be drawn into Garren's warm embrace, spooned up in front of the huge man, covered with insulated blankets he closed his eyes and tried to block out just how whorish Garren could make him act. How quickly his ploy to be taken roughly had been dismissed by Garren and how he relished every minute of the slow seduction until Garren had taken him hard, had made him beg for more. Had made him buck and scream, filled so tight he wanted to die with pleasure. 

Simple kisses had turned to long strokes of Garren's tongue over Alex's body. Clothing shed and every bare inch investigated. He had stared up at the star-lit sky and licked his lips, spreading his legs in anticipation of Garren's caress, that huge hand travelling down his belly causing his flesh to squirm away with an overly-sensitive speed. 

"You taste so sweet, Cat, you taste so sweet," Garren choked out. 

Alex wanted to taste Garren, wanted to kneel between the muscular thighs and suck on Garren's erection all night. He licked his lips again, just imaging that. He could taste the musk in his mouth, could feel the way Garren's narrow, muscular hips would slowly bump upwards, pulling his cock in and out. 

"I want to taste you," Alex whispered making Garren moan. "Please let me taste you." He met Garren's lips, which had descended on him with sudden lust and their tongues lashed together plunging into the hot recesses back and forth, mating as surely as the two men would later. 

Alex sucked on Garren's tongue, hard, bobbing his head a bit to imitate that action, which he longed to perform. He broke away, gasping. "Slide up here, Garren. Please. Oh God I want to taste you. I want you in my mouth. Now." 

Garren had taken Alex's discarded clothes and made a pillow to place under Alex's head before he stood and disrobed. Even in the dim light Alex could make out the magnificent form. Garren was nothing short of male perfection. Massive and powerful and yet strangely sleek, dangerously graceful. And his erection was a dark club in the night. 

Alex wanted it. Needed it more than was normal. 

Spore? 

If so, he didn't care. Not one bit. 

Garren lowered himself down, teasing Alex by rubbing the tip of his cock over Alex's belly, his ribs, his nipples, first one and then the next, sliding his wet head over the rubbery flesh making Alex begin to pant. 

Garren chuckled. "Are you so eager, mate?" 

"Y-yes. God, yes," Alex hissed. Not satisfied until Garren slid up, supporting his body over Alex with one arm, using the other to feed Alex's open, hungry mouth, his cock. 

"Then take it, Cat, take it," Garren growled, hissing in pleasure as the heat of Alex's mouth received him. Liquid fire and hot velvet tongue. 

Alex's mind blurred, events crowding together. How long had Garren crouched over him, moving himself in and out of Alex's avaricious mouth? Not long enough for when he pulled back, greatening with pleasure, Alex had tried to grasp the impossible hard thighs and force Garren's cock back into his mouth. Wanting to taste the hot seed that was surely just about to spill. 

Garren's belly was shivering with denied pleasure and his chest heaved. 

"Stop, Alex. Stop or I will spill my seed now." 

"But I want you to," Alex whined, lifting his head to follow the wet cock, but being held back easily by Garren. The strength in that hand no longer frustrated Alex, it turned him on. He really was helpless with Garren. He wasn't dangerous to him, wasn't even a slight threat. Quite simply Garren was the most deadly thing Alex had ever met. He would never flinch at Alex's anger or fear his moods. Consequently he would never be prone to leave him should the fear ever become too much. There was something utterly freeing in that. 

"I want to come inside you, Cat. Deep inside you," Garren growled. 

Alex was immediately assuaged. "Oh." 

Garren chuckled at the eager note in his cat's voice. What a little baggage he was. Of course he would be scratching and spitting in the morning, but at least he didn't smell of hurt for the moment. Garren frowned thinking of that scent and then turned his attention back to their mutual pleasure. 

"I am not going to let you sleep at all tonight, Alex. I intend to show what it means to be mated to a wolf." 

Alex had purred. He had begun to beg when Garren's tongue had been attending to him for so long his legs felt numb from being parted, high and loose over Garren's shoulders. His anus was overly sensitive as Garren fingered it, bit it and swabbed it with his tongue, over and over again. 

When Garren entered him hard and fast, Alex had cried out with the suddenness of it, the welcomed suddenness of being filled so tightly. 

The thrusts were so slow at first that Alex wanted to kill Garren, but they increased in tempo until they were both panting and growling in each other's ears, whispering encouragement. They came together that first time, but Garren had only just begun to play with Alex. 

When they were finally still, Alex was exhausted. After orgasm came sanity, with sanity came regret. He had not once asked to be taken back to Fox. Of course it was useless to ask, for even if Garren would do it, which he would not, Skinner had _given_ him away, but he hadn't even tried. If Fox had seen how eagerly he had spread his legs and his lips, he would never believe Alex's vows of love. And even now, in the warmth of Garren's arms, in the surety that Garren was correct, he did need the big wolf now, even then, he longed for Fox. Longed to have those moss eyes closing in sleep as Fox nestled his face into Alex's neck and fell sweetly asleep atop him. God he had never wanted Fox more than this minute. When he couldn't have him. Skinner had given him away. 

He closed his eyes tight and tried to bury the way that bit of knowledge made him feel. Given away, tossed aside. For so long that was how he felt thinking his parents had not wanted such a disrespectful boy. It hurt too much to feel that way again. And yet, he could not let it go. Skinner had not been happy to do it, he knew, but he _had_ done it. He had kept Fox and given him away like the trash he probably still thought Alex was. 

Garren growled in his ear and demanded that he stop hurting, making Alex almost smile. Alex resolutely made himself sleep, leaving Garren to stare at the dying night sky alone and uncertain of what to do. Uncertain after centuries of certainty. 

He could let his mate hurt. He did not _want_ to let his mate hurt. When he sensed that the little cat was asleep he spoke softly. "Akael, what would you do?" He knew, without having to sense him, that his old protector was near. 

Akael didn't rise from his position nearby but with a warning growl he sent the other packmembers away. It wouldn't do for them to overhear words between he and the young Garren. 

"You must do as you see best, Garren," he said respectfully. 

"Yes, but what is that? He is hurting and I don't like it. Me! Me who cares little for human frailty." 

"It is not human frailty you concern yourself with, it is your mate's happiness. That is nothing to be ashamed of. Human or no, you have picked him. He is your mate now for his whole, short life." Akael sighed. "You will learn." 

Garren glared into the sky. He had not wanted to think of the brevity of Alex's lifespan. "He aches for the pretty Fox, but I think mostly because he thinks Skinner threw him away. Why does he care?" 

Akael sighed impatiently. "Do you not know anything of humans, pup?" 

Both of them were surprised by the brief departure back into Garren's youth when Akael had leave to call him such, but neither mentioned the breech. 

"Your mate feels like he is cast aside like something unworthy. He must feel that Skinner did not care for him. And for that to hurt he must have cared for the Ascendant." 

"I had not considered that," Garren muttered. "But, surely he knows the foolish reason Skinner did voluntarily give him up! Not because he didn't desire Alex, but in order to secure his precious balance." 

Akael was silent for a moment. "I will not dare to interfere in whether you align with the Ascendant, but if Murdoch comes for Alex I will try to rip him to shreds, friend of yours or no. I am not as certain as you, Garren, that Murdoch will not want him. Your father did not trust him fully. And nor should you. When Josia and Emil come to share in the honor of guarding Alex, I will inform them of my concern." 

Garren was stunned, but didn't show it. His father had been as loyal to Murdoch as he himself had been. His old taskmaster leaned back and it was apparent he meant to sleep while Alex did. Though he could demand Akael's attention, and though Akael would certainly answer him as obediently as any other packmember, Garren was still understandably respectful of his old protector and fell silent too, his mind in even more a tangle. Josia, his father's brother, and Emil, the most vicious wolf Garren had ever known, older than Josia, but younger than Akael. Both would take their lead from Akael. As Garren's old protector and taskmaster, Akael's rank was higher than that of any other save for Garren's own littermates. Thus, would all three wolves distrust Garren's old master. They would never go against Garren's decision, but they would not want the true Ascendant near their charge. 

An interesting situation. 

Why hadn't his father fully trusted Murdoch? It made no sense. Murdoch had been no threat. He hadn't ascended; he was trapped in human frailty for the most part. He had needed the pack for protection. Why then? It did bear thinking on. He found himself wishing, for the first time, that his father were still alive. He had never needed him for direction before. And wouldn't now save for that question. 

Garren thought over Skinner's proposal. If he aligned with Skinner then Murdoch would become his enemy. Murdoch would have no choice but to attack the pack wherever they roamed. He had no illusions that many wolves would die if that were the way of things. But, he had his mate to consider as well. Though he had not decided fully, he sent out a command to the pack, one which caused every member concern, but one which was obeyed. 

Alex muttered in his sleep. Uneasy even there in dreams. What did he dream of that made him begin to twist in Garren's arms? Garren growled then, quietly as Alex whimpered in fear. Was it Murdoch? Akael was beside him suddenly, staring down at Alex with studied concern. If it were Murdoch come to reap the bounty of his mate's beauty then he would never rest until Murdoch paid the price of such an action. What could make his brave little cat afraid? 

"He dreams only," Akael finally said and returned to his position. 

Garren relaxed a small bit, but frowned still as Alex shivered. He pulled him closer and whispered what he hoped were comforting words in Alex's ear until Alex stilled and slid into silent slumber. 

"So you have decided?" Akael asked in response to Garren's earlier command to the pack. 

"I have not. I merely prepare the pack." 

Akael fell silent once more. Garren stayed awake for several more hours, uneasy. His thoughts consumed with Murdoch coming and taking Alex in dreams. 

* * *

**Salmon Falls, CA  
West of Santa Rosa   
Day Twenty   
Hour 0645**

Mulder was roused slightly when he heard the sound of twigs snapping and knew someone was walking just outside the circle of tents - walking away from the campsite. He came awake then, absolutely, without any residual confusion that some wakers suffered those first delicate minutes of consciousness. He looked to see Scully snuggled deep in the confines of her navy colored, insulated sleeping bag. One strand of red hair peeked out like an antenna, but nothing more. 

He dressed hurriedly. Wanting, for some reason, to find the person who was leaving camp. As he carefully unzipped the tent flap and re-zipped it, he grew impatient. The footsteps on dry twigs were inaudible now. Whoever it was, though, had been walking toward the small river. He hurried in the same direction, wondering at his impatience to confront the person who he followed. 

A small part of him knew who he would find - needed to find - to deal with! 

And so, he was not surprised to come upon Skinner standing in the newly birthed light by the river, hands in his front pockets and staring up at the sunrise. He was taken aback for a moment at how different Skinner seemed. He wore faded denim jeans and a cable knit, cream sweater. His glasses were absent and Mulder wondered if he even needed them anymore. The familiar surge of desire for Skinner pulsed for a moment before Mulder resolutely pushed it aside. 

"Plotting whom else to bargain away?" he asked. The sarcasm in his voice was no less bitter for its soft tone. 

Skinner turned his face toward Mulder, closed his eyes slowly and then reopened them. He seemed about to say something, before he rubbed one hand over his balding head and just stared intently at Mulder. 

"What? You aren't bothering to deny it?" Mulder moved toward him, his eyes narrowed and furious. "Who's next? Scully? Langly? Who?" 

"Fox. Please don't look at me that way. I know what you are thinking but I honestly did what I thought was best." When Fox just glared at him, the hazel eyes filled with such reproach, Skinner felt the heaviness on his chest magnify. "I have no desire to separate you from Alex. I know I could... but I won't." He turned from Fox then, looking at dawn's riotous arrival on the low brush and slow-moving water. The display of color was almost a mockery in its beauty. "When I am assured that Garren will ally with myself and the others who will fight Murdoch - I will let you go to him as well. To go to Alex." 

Mulder frowned at that and looked at Skinner through lash-shaded eyes. "You'd give us both away?" he said with a hint of scorn in his monotone voice. 

Skinner looked at him. "I want you both. I love you both. You I love with my entire self - Alex I wanted to cherish - wanted to show him that not everyone would betray him." He gave a sarcastic laugh, "Fine job I did, too. But, if there is to be any type of peace in this new world, then I have to be willing to sacrifice everything." He made as if to touch Mulder's face and then withdrew his own hand as if Mulder was radiating some intense, unfriendly heat. 

"You didn't even warn us," Mulder whispered. 

"And what would you have done? Run?" Skinner shook his head. "Mulder, this world is not the same one in which you skipped about for years - Scully behind you, believing in you is not quite enough to protect you anymore. You wouldn't last a second-" 

"Which is why we, Alex and I, agreed to be with you - for our prote-" 

Skinner laughed, hollowly. "You agreed to what I wanted you to agree to, Fox. I didn't even really give you a choice did I?" 

Mulder lifted his chin defiantly. "What do you hope to prove? This martyr act isn't working. You _gave_ my lover away to some creature. I want you to get him back. Now!" 

Skinner considered him, took in the flushed face, the pretty lips and he wanted him. Wanted to pretend for just a few hours that they were still in D.C. that there had never been such a thing as the Mediggo or the opening. Wanted to take that look from Fox's face - the same wild, distrustful look he had given him when Scully had been dying in the hospital. 

"I can't. But I can let you go to him, Mulder. Either way, you will be forced to accept that he isn't ever going to be just yours alone." 

Mulder blanched at that. For whatever reason, he did not want to go to Garren. He wanted Alex to come back. He knew with certainty that he would, in fact, go to Garren if that was the only way to be with Alex, but that was not something he looked forward to. Those gas flame eyes, that cruel smile. He had seen more warmth in the eyes of serial killers. Which, of course, Garren was. Minus even the more interesting psychosis that caused serial killer to kill. No, he mused cynically, Garren just liked to _eat_ humans. 

He shuddered. This was what had Alex? 

"Not good enough," Mulder insisted. Denying that his not wanting to go to Garren had anything to do with the fact that he felt like hitting and holding Skinner at the same time. He could not forget the sweet moments after Mikhail, when he had wanted Walter all for himself. How sweet Walter had been. How much he loved him. Of course, he knew who he wanted - needed - to be with, but looking into the sad, chocolate eyes, he could barely keep from going to him for succor when he had caused it all. 

No. Murdoch had caused it all. Was still working his dark purpose in the world, even as they stood there in the cool morning. 

"Fox, my sweet Fox," Skinner sighed, unable to prevent his hand from sliding down Fox's arm. "It is what can happen for now. Antonio was telling you the truth last night. The world is in shambles. It is as bad as if the invasion you were so sure would happen had happened. Maybe worse. People are being slaughtered-" 

"And what role did you play in it?" Mulder asked. "You went to end it - both you and Antonio, but you were part of it weren't you? Garren calls you Ascendant and Antonio, too. What are you? What did you do? What exactly is going on dammit!" 

Skinner wasn't surprised by the questions, only that Fox had waited so long to ask them. The old Mulder would have been hounding him for the truth as soon as he had been hustled into the helicopter and flown westward. "It is not as simple as you might imagine." 

"Indulge me," Fox sneered. "Pretend I have an extremely high IQ and that I can understand what you tell me." 

Skinner nodded and began his tale. When he finished telling Mulder everything - all he knew from beginning to end, including the ceremony and the conversations with Baku, the history of the pure bloods - it was full morning. The heat of the day was already beginning to make itself known and insects were buzzing in the bushes and over the relatively still waters at the bank of the river. 

Several minutes of silence followed Skinner's last words. Finally, Mulder looked again at Skinner with something less than full hostility. "I am not going to pretend that it is okay for me that you gave Alex away. But, I will say that I understand your reasons." 

Skinner knew that Mulder did not condone his actions, never would, but he hoped that by letting go of him - the very idea of which tore at his heart with intractable claws - would one day lead Fox to forgive him for what he had to do. He wished he could be selfish enough to keep Fox - to keep him in spite of the certain hatred that would follow. Or he simply wished not to be responsible for the balance. That delicate balance between good and evil. Even were Murdoch to be destroyed there was enough evil in the world to counter good intentions. It would make things so much easier. If he had a choice, he would have given away his power and responsibility and lived out a happy life with Fox Mulder. 

"There must be some way to get Garren to give Alex back to us." 

Skinner stiffened at Mulder's word choice. He had said, "to us" not "to me." It was telling. "Fox, do you not _want_ to leave me?" 

Mulder frowned at the quiet whisper. Skinner's eyes were wide with something akin to hope and he wanted to dash it, to hurt him like he had hurt Alex. But he couldn't. "No. No I don't. But, I will go where Alex is. You have to understand that. And, Walter, you hurt him. I can forgive the rest, eventually, as I know why you did it, but I can't forgive that. Not that." 

Walter nodded. The memory of Alex's beautiful face, so shocked, so betrayed, hurt him, too. "I can never forgive myself for that. I can only say that you must believe I would never have given him to Garren if I didn't _know_ that Garren would treat him like a priceless jewel. Nothing would have made me do it, if I thought Garren might ever hurt Alex." 

Mulder glared. "He's raped him! He's drugged him somehow - I'd say that is hurt enough, Skinner!" 

"He's not drugged him, Mulder. He has bonded with him as I have with you, only in a different way. Alex loves you, Fox, but he wants to be with Garren, too. You know it as well as I. Alex told me so himself, and he admitted that he had upset you with the knowledge." 

Mulder looked away. "I don't care! He loves me. He wouldn't leave me." The last words were almost whispered, confused and full of doubt. "Would he?" 

Skinner did pull Mulder into his strong embrace then, cradling Fox's lean body to his with a groan. "I don't believe he would, Fox. I don't believe he would." 

"I need to see him. Neither you nor Garren will stop me," Mulder promised, pulling away from Skinner. Their eyes met. "I need to know that he is all right. He needs to know that I want him here." 

The implication was clear and though Mulder's intention was not to dig the blade of self-recrimination deeper into Skinner's heart, he did. There was no way around the guilt. He had hurt Alex, had promised never to give him up or let another have him. He had given Alex a glimpse of what it was like to be protected and safe and then had betrayed him as surely as anyone ever had. He would never forget the way that had felt, or how Alex's pain had washed over him like a tidal wave - a tsunami charging toward delicate shores. 

He nodded. 

* * *

Mulder made his way back to camp, hoping to find Scully up and alone. He was relieved to see her dressed and waiting for him just outside her tent. She gave him a small smile as she sat lacing up her boots. He took a moment to study her as she attended to her recalcitrant laces. There was a sad tilt to her lips, which he suspected had everything to do with Antonio's absence. 

"Did you speak to Skinner already?" she asked, looking up at him through a fell of red hair. 

He was put back for a moment before nodding. "I did." 

"And," she hedged finishing with her boots and standing. 

"And his giving of Alex stands. Of course he is now willing to let me go as well in order to be with him." 

"Do you believe that?" Scully asked, a worried frown marring the otherwise smooth brow. Her eyes were narrowed with concern and Mulder shrugged. "Well?" 

"What reason would he lie now?" 

"To lull you into a false sense of security," she said sharply, as if worrying that his mind had indeed made it back intact from Mikhail's care. 

"Security is something I don't think I will ever feel again. Not really," Mulder said bitterly. He looked around the camp. "Where is everyone? Shouldn't they be up by now?" 

"The Gunmen came out for some food a bit ago, but are officially protesting Alex's departure and won't come out again for three hours." 

At Mulder's confused look, she shrugged. "I don't know why three hours, Mulder, I just repeat the odd things they say." 

"And your mother? Antonio?" 

At the mention of Antonio's name she raised a brow and stared at him until he had felt as if he had cursed loud and long in front of her and an entire cathedral of the devout. She cleared her throat when she felt he had been sufficiently stared down and said, "My mother said she wanted to go for a walk and Antonio went with her. The coward." 

Mulder nodded, not at all unhappy that Antonio was on the outs for the moment. Scully was fully focussed on their joint mission. A niggling guilt informed him that _their_ mission was certainly _his_ mission, just as nearly every mission he had ever dragged her into had been. And yet her outfit suggested that she was ready to go traipsing through heavy brush and take on the Consortium, if the Desert Eagle .50 Magnum at her side could be considered any indication. 

At his nod toward the black, deadly looking weapon she half smiled. "Frohike is, among other things now, an assassin in training, or something like that. He wanted me to have a weapon." 

"He didn't get me one," Mulder objected, his eyes flickering to the silent tent that housed the protesting Gunmen. 

"Yes, well I did ask about that, but he said that you had... never mind," she ended abruptly. "Let's go to your tent - look through yours and Krycek's things for the med-" 

"What did I have?" Mulder pressed. He placed one hand on her narrow shoulder staring intently into her eyes. 

"Mulder, it doesn't matter. Are we going-" 

"What, Scully?" 

Scully sighed. "Fine. He said you had Krycek and that was weapon enough." 

Mulder looked away and Scully was horrified to see the look of naked anguish that passed over his features. His lips tightened with determination and he released her shoulder. "Let's go get those medallions and go find out where Alex is - or, barring that, find Baku and get some damn answers." 

She hurried after him, her little legs having to double his pace in order to keep up, but she didn't ask him to slow his pace. What use would that be? Mulder never slowed his pace, he plunged headlong into things. Of course, now all of them were headlong - at least her partner and she were used to it. 

Finding the medallions proved simple as Alex had kept them close to him, in a small bag in which he kept a change of underwear and socks. Mulder's throat moved reflexively as he touched Alex's things. 

"We'll get him back, Mulder," Scully promised. "And you _won't_ have to go off with that wolf either. What could Skinner be thinking to say such a thing?" 

She was shaking her head as Mulder placed one of the two medallions around her neck. "He was thinking to assuage me and Alex-" 

"Assuage his guilt more likely," she sneered. 

"No doubt," Mulder agreed. He put on the second medallion and the two were silent for a moment. "I thought I would maybe feel different - maybe become invisible," Mulder drawled. 

Scully shrugged. "Well, either they work or they're just another smoke and mirror routine, which is my personal bet-" 

"Dana Scully, skeptic to the bitter end," Mulder chuckled. 

She gave him a look and continued. "You would think super wonder twin power necklaces would have some _other_ quality - some pizzazz wouldn't you?" 

He raised the tent flap for her and gave her what he hoped was a stern look. 

"It is irrelevant anyway as we are going to go charging out into the badlands with one gun and - well that's it. If the medallions work it would be one chalk up for us. We are due one." 

He ended up following her from the camp, her determined stride leading south and they walked for several minutes before conferring again on the possible location of Baku. 

Skinner watched them go, knew what they were about and sensed that Baku had left in the night. He wouldn't stop the two from their search though, perhaps them being alone, together as a team again might give Mulder some purpose, some way to get through the next few days of waiting for Garren's decision. Guilt plagued him but even more so because he knew he would have Mulder again, as often as possible before he would cross the bridge of giving him up. He had already informed Antonio that he was to take the rest of the group on to San Francisco that afternoon and wait for him there. 

Of course that would mean Scully and Mulder only had a few hours of togetherness, but it was all he could give them. He tried to rationalize the taking of Scully, the second most important person to Mulder, from him so soon as Antonio was not staying San Francisco after they arrived, but had planned to leave immediately for South America and most certainly the Scully's would go with him. So, Mulder would have lost her anyway. 

The rationalization did not make him feel better, but he did not dwell on it. Things were in motion now. One of his brothers had been taken, his zone overrun and destroyed. Others were fighting and doing well, but he would not risk it. Giving up Mulder had not been his original intention. He had simply planned on weathering the storm of Mulder's fury and then hoping Garren tired of Alex soon - though he had no real hope of that - and then settling down with Mulder, if not with both Mulder and Krycek, for the rest of their lives. 

Antonio and Maggie walked in from the east and Maggie gave Skinner a tired, sad smile and asked him if he were at all hungry. Without waiting for an answer she bean to arrange things for a meal for them all. The Gunmen sent out Langly to fetch them food when it was done and neither Skinner nor Antonio commented on their rebellion. They would have to come out in a few hours for the trip anyway. 

"What if the Gunmen want to come to South America with me, Skinner?" Antonio asked as he sat alongside Skinner at a foldout table. 

"No. Mulder needs them - if he stays with me," Skinner mumbled. 

Antonio simply raised his brows, but said nothing in response to that insanity - Mulder having a choice in anything. Skinner was certainly not in the mood to hear that he treated his chattel too well. 

* * *

**Salmon Falls, CA  
West of Santa Rosa   
Day Twenty   
Hour 0800**

Garren frowned at Alex, a dark ferocious glare that didn't phase the young man at all. "Alex, you will eat and that is the end of it," he repeated for the third time. "I told you, you would see Fox today, there is no need to protest in this way." 

Alex glared back at him. "I am _not_ protesting anything as I have said to you two times. That would indicate that I thought I could effect the outcome of this situation - that maybe I thought you and Skinner both would just leave Fox and I alone. I am just not hungry. I don't have to eat as much as some people do." This was directed at Akael who had happily eaten several platefuls of fire heated beans and corned beef hash. "And this isn't my meal of choice." 

"Nor is it ours," Garren growled as he stood, pacing about the fire in the middle of the little clearing he claimed. "You'll eat," he assured Alex and was furious when Alex flipped up his middle finger at him. He grabbed Alex up and shook him a bit. "You forget that I am not averse to punishing you, Alex," he threatened. To show he meant it, Garren reached behind Alex and slapped his rear with a wide, strong hand. 

Green eyes blazed at him, but there was no show of remorse or any intention of obeying. Garren made Alex sit and placed a plate on his lap, determined not to lose his temper. The pack members still allowed nearby grew restless and anxious at Garren's displeasure, unsure as to what to do. When the human mate flung the plate of beans and hash into Garren's face, they wanted to retaliate, to kill, but of course, they would do nothing of the sort. 

Akael chuckled, receiving a hot topaz glare for his troubles. He finished his plate and stretched, standing. "Mate, your little Fox and the female are coming near. Do you want to have him find you being punished as you so richly deserve?" 

Alex masked his surprise so well, that Akael would not have known he had affected the pretty male at all if his smell had not changed dramatically. 

Alex shrugged. "I am still not fucking hungry." Garren raised his brow and looked to Akael. "If you don't eat, then you won't see Fox at all this day." 

Alex glared at him, his eyes hot with the emotion he had denied Akael. "You bastard. I said I wasn't hungry. If you want me to eat, find something other than pork and beans, heated over a fire." At Garren's unflinching stare he gritted his teeth. "Jesus. Give me some then," he hissed, hating to give in, but unwilling to be denied the chance to see Fox. 

"You won't have to eat this way forever, Cat," Garren informed him as he made another plate of the steamy, lard shiny food. "Just until the Ascendant realizes that I am not letting him take Fox from you. That we will be traveling with them. I am sure your Fox will fix you better meals than this." 

The tone of Garren's voice, the way he so obviously had relegated Fox to a submissive role to Alex, grated on Alex. It was one thing for him to think of Fox that way, but quite another for someone else to assume. "I'll have you know that I cook for Fox. That if I relied on him to cook I would eat less than if you did." 

Garren shrugged. He had no interest in the conversation anymore, Alex was eating. He had gotten his way. He was getting control of the situation. Soon Alex would obey prettily. He smiled at Akael, but the old wolf's face was averted, the amber glow of his eyes bright and intense. He was tracking something, Fox no doubt. He stood and left Alex sitting beside the dying fire. 

"Akael, I go to speak to Skinner." 

He was already ten paces away before Alex stopped him. "What? Why?" 

Garren sighed. It was of no concern to Alex why. He had not even considered telling Alex where he was going. "Just eat, Alex. Wait for your Fox. Obey Akael-" 

"What? Never! I won't even obey you," Alex ground out. 

"Or he has my permission to - to make Fox leave." 

Akael grinned again. It would have been far more normal for him to grant him permission to punish him physically, but he had been right in his estimation of his Garren's susceptibility for the lovely, changed male. 

Garren made his way to the ascendants' camp only making his decision moments before he faced the two. It was one that would potentially harm his pack, something he didn't take lightly, but one that would perhaps, lead to security for Alex - and happiness too. 

* * *

"So where do you think Baku is?" Scully asked as she and Mulder made their way through the low brush. 

"I don't even know if he is still around, but I have a feeling he is." 

"You and your feelings, I've learned to trust both," Scully sighed reluctantly, making Mulder smile. "If he is around, he'll want to be close." 

"But not too close," Mulder observed. 

"Why Baku?" When Mulder gave her a questioning look she continued, "I mean he was working in Club Lune, and not even a high position from what I could see. Why him?" 

"You mean why is he the one giving the messages, following us?" At her nod Mulder shrugged. "I guess even in strange occult circles there are spies." 

"So he was a spy? Spying on the Meddiggo? Pretty dangerous considering their obvious-" she paused uncomfortably, "powers." 

He shrugged. "I suppose so, but maybe he had the ability to block them - keep them from finding out he was a spy." 

"That he was with the Dorl," Scully added. She explained quickly what she knew of the Dorl, what she had uncovered during his time with Mikhail. 

"So this group, this Dorl is the same group that Dr. Reeves was working with," Mulder mused. 

"I can't think of any other answer. And if that is true, and this Baku is somehow their leader, then we _have_ to talk to him. Surely he'll be able to give us some information that will be helpful." She stopped suddenly and held one hand up to quiet the question that was forming on Mulder's lips. "The birds," she whispered. 

He tried to listen to any birdsong but there was none. He stiffened. "There are no birds." 

"Exactly," she agreed. "They went silent." 

Both agents stood tense. Sudden cessation of sound, even in this odd world, meant only one thing. A predator was approaching, one that the animals of the forest disapproved of more than they did the arrival of two humans. The hairs on Mulder's neck stood rigid. Something was watching them. This wasn't the forest of Fort Bragg, but a sparser, more lowland forest, one that held little cover in most places, but still, something was watching them. 

"What is it?" Scully asked, peering to the left and then the right. 

"Something Tweetie and company don't like, that's for sure," Mulder whispered, the intense feeling of being watched increased and he had the insane urge to run, to grab Scully by the arm and run. 

* * *

**Salmon Falls, CA  
West of Santa Rosa   
Day Twenty   
Hour 0830**

"We are not going to accomplish anything in here," Langly complained for the third time. "No one cares if we are upset. Skinner doesn't care if Mulder is pissed about Alex, so why would he care if we were?" 

Frohike looked at the back wall of the tent and brooded. 

"Langly's right," Byers finally said. "We need to take action." 

Frohike smiled darkly. "Yeah! We strike now, go get Alex and-" 

"No, Melvin," Byers corrected, "we sneak out the back way - so no one knows what we're up to. We go get Mulder and the four of us go find Alex - maybe even the strange old man who started this." 

"Baku," Langly whispered. "That is what his name is. I heard it when I went to tell Skinner that he was here to speak to him. You know when we thought Krycek was beating on Mulder." 

"I never thought that," Frohike asserted. "Krycek wouldn't really hurt him." He had of course, been the one to tell the other two men that Krycek might have lost it and tried to hurt Mulder, based on his viewing of the assassin at the river's edge with Mulder. But, neither Byers nor Langly felt like reminding him of that. 

"We can go out the back of the tent - cut our way out and then go to Mulder's tent and spring him." 

"He isn't a prisoner," Langly sighed. 

"We all are," Byers insisted. 

"No, he and Scully left a bit ago. I heard them go by," Langly insisted. 

Byers sighed. "So why didn't you tell us?" 

"We were on strike." 

Frohike looked through his bag of weapons and handed Byers a gun. ".357 Magnum. It'll knock down a charging grizzly. It'll stop anything. Take it." 

Byers took the gun and checked it out with expert attention. His smooth motions and precise handling startled his two friends. He shrugged almost embarrassed. "I know guns a little. Don't like what some people do with them, but I know them." 

"What d'ya have for me?" Langly asked. He leaned over the bag and peered inside curiously. 

"Nothing. I gave Scully the only other spare I have the first day on this little trek," Frohike said apologetically as he strapped on his two ladies. 

"Well, give me one of those," Langly pointed to the two guns strapped to Frohike's chest. 

Frohike looked aghast. "No! These two are a team. We'll just have to rely on you to do the springing." He handed Langly a hunting knife and Langly took it with a whistle. 

"Okay, I can hang with this. Rambo." 

Frohike grinned. " Get cutting." 

When the three had silently slid out the slit Langly had made in the back of the tent they immediately followed in the direction Langly had thought he heard Scully and Mulder take. They moved low and slow until they were certain neither Skinner nor Antonio would stop them. Byers had a feeling that Antonio was watching them leave and he flushed. He didn't want to think about what he and Antonio did two nights ago, how Antonio had made him do things he would never of thought of doing with a man. And he didn't want to think about the way he enjoyed those things, the way he had whimpered and begged toward the end of his ordeal. He was glad to be on a mission. It would help keep his mind off the feel of Antonio's hands on him, the dark gaze that was so tinged with red that he was nearly frightened. 

They fell into line, single file like Indians hiding their numbers. They were silent and determined. They were heavily armed. They were ready for anything. Ten minutes later when they saw Garren coming toward them, they melted into the shrubs around them and hid. When Garren passed they reemerged onto the trail and grinning at having hidden from a werewolf of all things they continued, surely as silent as wraiths, smokelike and deadly. A few twigs snapped and branches swayed in their wake, Langly cursed when he stumbled, but they didn't consider that too much noise. 

* * *

Garren found Skinner and Antonio waiting for him. They were solemn looking, but otherwise they seemed utterly calm. "The friends of your Fox are hiding in the forest," Garren said casually. 

"We know. They cut their way out of the tent, so we wouldn't know they were looking for Alex," Antonio said softly, his melodious accent making his words seem even more relaxed than he looked. 

"Looking for Alex?" Garren asked, suspicious. "Why?" 

"They're his friends - sort of," Skinner growled, his tone belying the ease of his expression, "they're understandably upset with this and worried about him." 

Garren grinned, his lips revealing white, perfect teeth, teeth a Hollywood hopeful would kill for. "You can't control any of your people can you?" 

Antonio's dark eyes flashed and he looked to Skinner as if to say, "Do we really need this clown?" 

"What is your decision, Garren?" 

"I will agree to align with you." Garren could smell the tension in the two ascendants fade with his words. "I have already informed the pack of this. Murdoch is our enemy." He didn't reveal to Skinner that the biggest reason by far that had compelled him to agree to this, had been his fear while holding Alex in his sleep. Fear that Murdoch might take him, take him in a place where Garren's claws and incredible strength - indeed not those of the entire pack - could save him. A place that only another ascendant could call one back from "I will help you and your brothers, but I have conditions." 

Skinner felt a weight ease from his shoulders but he showed nothing on his face. "Name them." 

"You will promise not to keep Fox from Alex." 

"Done." 

"You will not interfere _ever_ between me and my mate. _Ever_ To do so is to question my right to him, and that I, nor my pack, will tolerate." 

"If you don't hurt him-" 

"Ever, Ascendant, means ever. I will never hurt Alex, unless he needs to be punished. Though I owe you no explanation, I will say that Alex is safer with me than anywhere else on this earth." 

"Fine, what else?" 

"Nothing. I need nothing from you, Ascendant. You are the one who needs me." Garren grinned at the disgruntled looks on the ascendants' faces. They were born to rule the world but hadn't figured out how to do it. They were struggling with their powers as any child might struggle to learn to ride a bike, or to walk and they didn't even know of the struggle. "I would ask that I be able to take Fox to Alex now, but Fox is already on his way to my mate." 

"Yes, I know," Skinner sighed. 

Garren saw the same bewildered look in Skinner's eyes as he felt in himself. They were both powerful, Garren more used to his power, but both were letting weak humans call some of the shots. They were pathetic. He was glowering before he knew it and with a growl he turned away. "We both need to get control of our mates." 

Skinner's laugh made Garren turn his head back to the big man. "Yes, but how in the hell do we do that?" 

Garren glowered and because he had no answer, he remained silent. "What plans do you have against Murdoch," he ground out to change the subject of contrary, beautiful, changed males. 

* * *

**McClellan Air Force Base  
Sacramento, CA   
Day Twenty   
Hour 2030**

Three stood at the back side of the room, watching. Four was still looking at his toe, watching it with what Three would call intense concern. One was looking at books that none of them could read yet and Two was having his hair stroked by one of the White Coats. Though Three was unsure as to what exactly he was, he knew that he and the others, Two, Four and One, were different from the White Coats. Too, he knew more than he was letting on. Though he had refused to speak, except to Four when he had made his toe leak, Three was comfortable with the language of the White Coats. He didn't understand why he was uncomfortable nor could he name the emotion they engendered within him, but if he could know, he would have named it mistrust, and even fear. 

When Two cried out in the same tone as had Four when his toe had been injured, Three looked toward him. The White Coats had put another needle in Two making him make that sound of pain, but even more interesting was the wetness on Two's face. The word for wetness of the face came to Three. Tears. The White Coats were hurting Two, and Three didn't like it. He moved toward the huddled group and sat close behind Two, wrapping his arms about him. Physical contact had seemed to calm Four and so it was with Two. 

"They feel empathy for one another," one of the White Coats said and Three just stared at her. Of course they did. Empathy, the ability to imagine how it must be for another, the cousin of sympathy. Did not all humans have the ability? Another thought made him uncomfortable. Were he and the others even human? Is that why the White Coats were so surprised, yes that was the word, when he or the others displayed human emotions and qualities? 

"Hurt," Two whispered and Three held him closer. 

"We have to give you shots, Sweetheart. You don't want to get sick do you? I mean you are perfect, but you are still susceptible to disease." 

"Sick?" Two questioned. He knew what that word meant. So did Three. Four and One, sensing some tension from their brothers came forward, their expressions delightfully vague, almost ditzy. 

"Sick as in having an illness, which may or may not destroy the body?" One asked worriedly. 

"You aren't going to get sick if you get your shots, like good boys would," the female White Coat assured. 

Three was fascinated with the female. Was she the mother? Her face was strangely lined and her hair more white than black, but he knew there had to be a mother. Her voice was different too. Softer than the males. She was smaller than most, but he had felt her grip, she was not weak. 

As if thinking the same thing about her maternity, Four asked, "Are you the mother?" 

She looked strange then, and Three could not name her expression. Her eyes widened, as did her mouth. She looked to her fellow White Coats and then back at the four of them, all wearing different shades of the same vacant look. 

"Why no, no sweetie, I am not your mother. You don't have a mother. Only a donor." 

Four looked to Two and One looked to Three. They were not sure of the response. They waited until Three nodded before Four and One went back to their previous occupations. Three stayed with Two until the White Coat who was not their mother placed her hand on Three's arm. 

"Two has to go with Doctors Roberts and Shenk now. He is going to learn to shower. Let go of him, Three. It is your turn for a shot." 

Three let Two go and he followed the two male White Coats from the room, his expression no longer vacant but relaxed. Three did not want a shot. He knew they hurt. He had had two already. He almost prevented her from giving him one, but the threat of "sick" stopped him. Sick was scarier then shots. He didn't cry out as had Two when the needle pierced his flesh, but he didn't like it. 

The White Coats smiled at him, two males led him to the shower area as well. They asked him why he wouldn't talk like his brothers, but he just stared at them blankly. He knew Two and Four were not truly uncomfortable with the White Coats, but he had seen One considering them strangely. One and he had shared several looks of concern. 

He could not explain why, he had no reason to wonder about the White Coats, but they smelled different, they were not the same as the others. He let himself be taught to shower and he had to admit that the feeling of their hands on him felt good. Especially when one had taken his penis in his hand and stroked it slowly, gently with soap and water. Three had almost spoken then, in surprise when his penis grew. The pleasure combined with the strange sight of his deformity nearly made him break his determination not to speak. 

"God, they're so pretty," the White Coat who stroked him whispered to his fellow, staring into Three's pale, hazel eyes. The kaleidoscopic melange of green, blue, and brown almost hypnotizing the man. "Aren't they?" 

"Yes, but we better watch it. The old man has guards posted. He's their father for God's sake!" 

Three's attention was diverted from the pleasure in his penis when he heard those words. Father? Old man? 

"But, they smell so good. Look how he is watching me? He doesn't know what I'm even doing, but he likes it." His words were proved when Three gave a small moan and moved into the man's eager hand. 

"Jesus, of course he likes it," the second White Coat hissed, "but you aren't supposed to do it." 

Three noted that after that exchange the pleasure ended and the hand was removed. His shower lesson was pleasant after that but the White Coat's hand did not return to its pleasurable exercise again. Three wondered at the point of the shower, wondered why it was necessary to learn such a task. It seemed a waste of time to him. 

Later, Three and the others were taught how to dress themselves, what type of clothes suited what type of weather. Again, Three wondered at the usefulness of such things. One strenuously objected to wearing clothes. He repeatedly removed the articles put on him and Three watched with curious fascination as One's mouth kept moving oddly. The lower lip grew bigger it seemed, especially when one of the White Coats would insist he put back on his shirt. Three didn't mind the clothing too much, neither did Four or Two, but One would not cooperate. Finally, he was left alone, allowed to remain in only a loose robe, to which he did not object. 

Three knew that the White Coats did not know how much data he had inside his mind, nor did he think the others knew. Somehow, someway, he was different from the others. That was not something he wanted. He was only comfortable with the others and did not want to be different from them. But, they were all different from one another in small ways, so he supposed this difference was not so great. 

When it was time for the lights to go out, he found he wasn't so different from his brothers as he thought. They all pulled covers from their assigned beds and made a large place to sleep. Curling together, nervous about the sensations they were all experiencing, this dulling of senses, they all fell into their first sleep. 

* * *

**Salmon Falls, CA  
West of Santa Rosa   
Day Twenty   
Hour 0830**

Alex waited until Garren was long gone before standing and finishing dressing. He had eaten all he would. All he wanted now was to not look like some cheap harlot when he saw Fox. He knew his lips were swollen, not from Garren's kisses alone, but from the delicious slide of Garren's erection. He flushed anew as the memory of his own hunger assaulted him. 

He had a name for it now, but what good did knowing that he was infected with some sort of spore do him? Infected or not, he still acted like some eager bitch. Was there a cure for it? Now, that would be interesting. And the one person who could perhaps find such a thing, if it even existed, was Mulder. He spared Akael a glance, startled anew at the seemingly relaxed nature of this creature. Though Garren was entirely different from the other wolves Alex had seen, more controlled, this wolf was even more so. 

"What do you think you are doing anyway? I don't need a shadow." 

Akael just stared at him a small smile on his lips. 

It was infuriating for Alex. He had grown used to his own threat, had gotten so used to being deadly that he hadn't even noticed it anymore. That Mulder had never guessed Alex's dangerousness had been a credit to Alex's acting ability. Now, this man - this _thing_ \- was looking at him like an amusing child. Amber eyes glowed and no ire rested there. He wanted to pick up something and throw it at the big man, just to see if that smile could be wiped away. 

"You think I need or want a protector? Well, you're wrong!" 

Akael stood then. "Are you getting ready to go look for the little Fox?" 

"Go to Hell. If you want to know what I am going to do, then you figure it out," Alex growled. He put on his boots, laced them tight and stood. "You're wasting your time you know." 

"How's that?" Akael asked smoothly. 

"I'm not going to be Garren's mate for long, so you might as well get used to not shadowing me." 

Akael nodded solemnly. "I see." 

"You don't believe me? Fine. But, I am wasting my time." He turned and after a moment's consideration he went east. 

"Fox is no longer coming straight to us, Alex, he is more in a northerly direction," Akael supplied helpfully. "Garren passed he and the little female not so many minutes ago. 

Alex didn't appear to hear the advice though he switched directions and headed north. He needed to see Fox, to tell him that Garren had infected him, had _made_ him want him. He knew it would change nothing, but maybe Fox would understand. 

* * *

**McClellan Air Force Base  
Sacramento, CA   
Day Twenty-One   
Hour 0530**

Spender gave the two operatives their final orders. They were to infiltrate Skinner's little, merry band and get a message to Krycek. Once that was done they were to help set up the retrieval. Spender had no doubts whatsoever that Alex would come to him. Perhaps not to heel as he had been trained so well to do, but come nonetheless. From observation satellites Spender had been able to easily track Skinner's group and could even see the print on whatever book Scully's placid mother was reading at any given time. 

Though the United States government ceased to exist, its little toys were still at the ready. Most interesting to the remnants of The Consortium were the spy satellites, the so - called space observation points. Satellites that could reposition themselves and hone in on any given location and see a mosquito land on a baby's palm. The alien technology had no trouble interfacing with the technology of man, for it was essentially the same. One the child of the other. The technological revolution was nothing but the bastard offspring of compliance with the aliens, rewards as it were for illicit coupling. 

The spy satellites, fully armed and deadly, were positioned around the globe with utility descriptions as innocuous as geographical study, used by geologists in their quest to better understand Earth. Of course these satellites did function in many benign uses and those who used them had no true idea of what they were capable. From his vantage point in the main relay room, surrounded by dozens of high resolution monitors and technical equipment straight from a paranoid movie of Big Brother, Spender could even see what Murdoch was doing. The sights that greeted him were unsettling, even to one such as he. 

Tapping into the defense computers, after operatives had infiltrated several U.S. defense bunkers and had physically set the power parameters to the non-effected alien power source, had been simple, they had always had access to the satellites even if Uncle Sam was turning a blind eye to it. The operatives were still waiting for him to dismiss them, having already been shown all the various actors in their upcoming production. They were trained killers, excellent deep cover operatives and yet they seemed nervous. 

Spender forgave them their weakness. 

It was quite unsettling to see the creatures that now roamed, and even more so to know that they would be in the midst of them. Skinner, they were told, would not be easily fooled. It was for this reason that these particular operatives were chosen. Not only were they efficient, a nice pseudonym for being extremely good at killing, but they looked as innocent as any Iowa farmer. Open faces, free from lines of worry or strife, soft smiles and even softer voices. He was pleased with the choice. 

He dismissed them and they didn't hesitate to go. They would succeed or they would be killed by Skinner or those man things that changed into wolves, back and forth sometimes, like ripples on water. Intelligence had supplied that the wolves were afraid of Skinner, too afraid to stay changed for long. It worked well for Spender that that was so. His operatives would stay clear of the man/wolves things anyway. Just to be on the safe side. 

Other precautions had been taken as well. Neither operative knew why the message to Krycek was being delivered. Neither knew anything of the clones and so could not be forced to talk. Nor could their thoughts be plucked from their minds as easily as might have been. They had been told only to repress any thoughts save for the false background they had been drilled with. Alien technology had even helped them there. With the correct use of light, drugs and repetition, the operatives were close to believing their own cover. 

Spender was pleased. Very pleased. Soon Alex would be with him again. With the help of the little clone, Alex would soften toward Spender and they would be together. Sweet, deadly Alex. He shivered. Of course with the acquisition of the true Fox Mulder as a benefit, he would be forgiven all. Bill Mulder would most likely give the delicious, troublesome agent to Murdoch. The Consortium would be held in high esteem by that powerful, if frightening man. Yes, all was proceeding well. This was going to be a wonderful, exciting world. 

End of The Alliance 

* * *

[email removed] 

Outstanding Skinner AU   
Honorable mention   


DATE: 06/19/00   
RATING: Very NC-17   
SPOILERS: Probably, but do you care?   
SUMMARY: Alternate Universe After the events of The Changing, the world is ruled by magic and Mulder has to learn to find a role for himself in the new paradigm.   
WARNING: Sexual Assault, Angst, explicit sex (consensual and non-consensual) between hot men, magic, and B&D. If that isn't your thing or you are below the age of consent. DO NOT READ!!!!!!!!!! My Krycek has two arms and he's going to keep them thank you.   
DISCLAIMER: They aren't mine. They belong to CC and 1013 Productions. I don't make any money... wouldn't take it if I could, just borrowing, you can have them back.   
FEEDBACK: Please and thank you. [email removed]   
Website if applicable:   
[ http://www.slashingmulder.com/Author_N.htm](http://www.slashingmulder.com/Author_N.htm)   
THANKS TO: Megaera, Jo B, Cerulean_Blue, Helen, Bee Lan for beta and great ideas! Not to mention gracious support and patience. Thanks too to all whom thought it best to urge me to hurry up with the clones already, you know who you are. Any remaining mistakes are due to pure stubbornness on my part.   
---


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